Loki Admin: The Orichalcos Saga
by Usyra
Summary: The third installment of the Loki Admin series. While Loki goes off with the gang to destroy the Orichalcos, Shizuka goes on a quest of her own to help from behind the scenes. FMA crossover. Complete, but I still welcome any criticism.
1. The Quest Begins: A Couple Divided!

"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one and only truth."

-Alphonse Elric

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

The story so far…

Not even a full week after the Battle City tournament, I was called upon to save the world again. Lynch informed me that a man named Nigel Garza wanted to absorb the powers of darkness to resurrect a Card Guardian known as Kuhates, with the hope of achieving world domination, for it is said that whoever defeats Kuhates in a duel will be granted a wish. I rushed to Transylvania to stop him.

Matters were complicated when Shizuka, Téa, and Yugi were kidnapped from under my nose by the Society of Light. The Society's goal was brainwash duelists into serving them, intent on using the duelists' collective light energy to rid the world of darkness, not realizing their actions would destroy the world.

I managed to defeat Hikaru, the leader of the Society of Light, and freed my friends from his control. But I was too late, for Nigel Garza had already absorbed enough dark energy to unleash the Card Guardian. After a difficult battle, I wished Kuhates would become human so I could battle him again. With my work done, my friends and I headed back to Japan, while Lynch returned to Ireland.

And I learned a valuable lesson from all that; light and dark do not necessarily mean good and evil; after all, a force who served the light performed evil deeds, while I, a man whose chi was tainted by the Ghouls, fought to save the world. Light and dark are merely two halves of the same whole. It's the people, and the way they use their power, that determine good and evil.

This story continues before and during a period of history that I call the Orichalcos saga…

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

During the two months following the Society of Light incident, Loki was a lot more hands-on with my training. We dueled at least once a day – sometimes up to five times – and he introduced me to duel puzzles; scenarios where I had to win a duel in one turn with the cards in my possession. Each time, the duels would get progressively harder. Sometimes, I spent hours at a time on a puzzle.

But I didn't mind, since I knew Loki was only making me do the puzzles to help me. And Loki didn't care about the time either, since he seemed to enjoy teaching me. It worked great, because I enjoyed learning from him. I enjoyed…him, period.

But I digress. He also had me duel against simulated versions of other people's decks. Under Loki's tutelage, I've managed to defeat lots of champions' decks. To my surprise, I was eventually able to defeat Joey's deck with no problems. Still, I could never beat Loki.

"Mataza," Loki shouted, "cut and sheath!"

1600/0

"Darn, I lost again!" I pouted.

"You're gaining on me, Shizuka," he assured me. "One of these days, you'll defeat me and become the new Selkirk Rex."

"Don't put _that_ kind of pressure on me," I said. "You said yourself it'll happen when it happens."

He beamed. "I love it when you quote me."

"Maybe I should stop before your head swells so much you can't fit through the door."

Apart from his skills, it seemed as though his wit also seemed to rub off on me. Those days, I was quick to pounce when someone said something stupid. "That was an evil thing to say, Shizuka. Nicely done! Joey would be proud."

"You think?"

"Absolutely. There's nothing Joey appreciates more than a duelist that outclasses him in every way."

I crossed my arms. "I wouldn't say _every_ way."

"Let's count the ways: you have better cards, you have a better strategy, you're more levelheaded, you're a faster learner, and you probably have better personal hygiene-"

"When does hygiene come into play during a duel?"

"Nobody likes to duel a smelly opponent," he answered with a shrug. "Come on, champ; I'll treat you to lunch. Pick a restaurant."

I thought about it for a minute. "Well, I like Burger World. Is that ok?"

"Sure." Within ten minutes, we were seated with our lunches. I wasn't very deep into my lunch when he asked, "So, how's school for you?"

"Huh? Ok, I guess." It's hard to say why I disliked talking casually to him. I wanted to, but when the time came around, I simply shut down. I think I was afraid we might somehow drift into the subject of relationships, and I'd blurt out the words that I'm too shy to say to him.

"You know, I kind envy you." I looked up, surprised by his statement. "I was home-schooled most of my life, and am still taking online courses. I've missed out on the chance to interact with anyone outside the duel field. Actually, apart from Lynch and the Ghouls, your brother was the first person I really got to know."

"I didn't know that."

He gave a shrug. "If I seem a little withdrawn at times, that's why. And if I seem a little overprotective, it's because I really cherish you all. You're quite literally my best friends."

Suddenly, he leaned forward and took my hand. "Listen. I know I said this before, with the Nigel Garza incident, but I need to reinforce it. First and foremost, I have your best interest at heart, my student. I thought that meant I had to protect you, but that way is flawed."

"…"

"I feared that if you helped me face Dr. Garza, that you would get hurt, or worse. But Lynch taught me the value of faith. I have faith in you, and everything I taught you. That means it's my responsibility to stand back and trust that if you get into trouble, you'll come out all right."

"You mean…if I get into trouble, you won't save me?" I asked, suddenly very frightened.

"Such is not the case. I will always be there to save you in any occasion I think you're truly stuck. But I trust that you'll be able to take care of yourself in the meantime. Think about it; you defeated Nigel Garza! If he hadn't played that dirty trick with the mace, you'd have saved the world."

I sighed, pulling my hand away from him. "There's always an 'if' with me, isn't there? I could've defeated Marik _if_ I were stronger. I wouldn't have been brainwashed _if_ I were quicker on my feet. I would've stopped Kuhates' resurrection _if_ I kept my guard up."

"SHIZUKA!" he snapped, causing me to flinch. "I order you to stop putting yourself down. You're only human; no more, no less. Don't incriminate yourself for things you had little to no control over. In the long run, did they affect you in any negative way?"

He allowed me a second to think about it. I was very surprised that I couldn't of anything. "No, I guess they didn't."

"And you've learned some valuable lessons along the way: be quick on your feet, and keep your guard up. Frankly, I wish I learned those lessons as quickly as you had." He took my hands again. "Remember this, Shizuka: you are going to be stronger than me, and you know how strong I am. Never, _ever_ let yourself believe yourself to be inferior."

"Sensei…" I watched him lean forward a little, slightly dazed. For a second, I saw something warm flash in his eyes. _"Is that love? Does he feel like I do?"_ I leaned forward a little too. Gradually, we inched closer to each other.

He blinked suddenly, and blushed. Letting go of my hands, he sank back in his seat. "I…thought you had something in your eye. I was wrong. Sorry."

"It's ok." I rested in my seat and silently sipped my soda. _"He _does_ love me, doesn't he? I guess I thought if he did, he'd have told me. But he's shy like me."_

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

"_Loki, you idiot,"_ I scolded myself. _"You came way too close that time. What if you kissed her? It might've ruined our relationship."_

"Are you ok?" asked Shizuka between sips.

"Perfectly," I lied. Then we heard some screams outside. We looked out the window and saw something rather scary; monsters were attacking the city. "It figures," I muttered. "I take up residence in Japan, and monsters appear."

"Those are duel monsters holograms," Shizuka pointed out. "Where could all of these things be coming from?"

"That doesn't matter, since we know exactly where they're going. Shizuka, how about you get some practice in by destroying a few of them?"

"Ok," said Shizuka. She ran outside and activated her Duel Disk. "I play White Magician Pikeru (1200/0) with Trial of the Princess!" Her monster destroyed a Reaper of the Cards (1380/1930), transformed into Princess Pikeru (2000/0), and blasted a Timeater (1900/1700).

"_Well, that's two down,"_ I thought. _"There are about seventy to go, give or take."_ My cell phone rang and I answered it. "Make it quick."

"Hey, Loki," I heard Joey say. "Are you and Shizuka being attacked by duel monsters too?"

"Yes, but it's nothing really serious. How's life treating you otherwise?"

"Not too shabby. How's Shizuka?"

"She's become quite a duelist; she may even give you a run for your money some day. Please hold." I lowered my phone and yelled, "Shizuka, behind you!" as a Mystic Clown (1500/1000) rushed her. Luckily, she jumped out of the way. I raised the phone and said, "Sorry about that. Do you have any idea how this could've happened?"

"No, it's the strangest thing. We finally went to the museum to try and unlock the secrets of the pharaoh's past, and then the monsters suddenly appeared. We went to Kaiba Corp to get some answers, but he's in his office in California. He's holding a press conference at eight tonight."

"Well, here's hoping we get some answers."

Suddenly, Shizuka was next to the window yelling, "I summon Banisher of the Radiance (1600/0)!"

"What was that?" asked Joey. "Was that Shizuka?"

"Um, yeah!" I answered. "She was complimenting me, saying I shouldn't be a _bachelor_ because I'm so _radiant_." It was a stupid lie, but Joey would be upset – to say the least – if he discovered I was making her duel random monsters on the street. Besides, Joey's quite gullible, so he'd probably believe me.

"Oh, ok. Well, say hello for her me. Ciao!"

"Later." I hung up and walked outside, using the End of the World ritual to summon Demise, King of Armageddon (2400/2000). "This has gone on long enough. Demise, activate your doomsday pile driver!" Demise unleashed a shockwave that destroyed absolutely all the monsters.

Shizuka looked around, impressed. "How did you do that?"

"My monster's special effect lets me pay 2000 lifepoints to destroy all cards on the field except this monster," I explained.

"Well, now that we saved the town, what's our next move?"

"According to Joey – he says 'hi,' by the way – Kaiba will be holding a press conference on the issue at eight tonight. Let's head to Domino; this could be a serious problem, and even Yugi might need our help."

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

It was about 7:55 PM when we arrived at Yugi's house. It was the first time I've seen it. I couldn't believe how lucky he was that he lived above his Grandpa's game store; to be so close to so many cards has always been a dream of mine.

I knocked on the door, and an old man answered. I knew he has to be Yugi's Grandpa, because he had hair exactly similar to Yugi's, except completely gray. "I'm sorry, but we're closed for the night."

"Good evening, Mr. Moto," I said in my most charming tone of voice. "Actually, Shizuka and I are here to meet Yugi. My name is-"

Grandpa suddenly snapped his fingers. "Loki Admin. Yugi told me about how you were teaching Joey's sister. Please, come in; they're right up those stairs. Just follow the noise."

"Thanks." With that, we headed for the crowded room. Through the crack in the door, I saw Joey, Téa, and Tristan were all there as well. I motioned for Shizuka to remain silent, and in Kaiba's voice I yelled, "Hey, underdog!" It's a name that Kaiba frequently called Joey.

Joey shot up, infuriated. "KAIBA?"

"I have a joke for you. What's the difference between you and a monkey's brain? A lobotomy!"

"Oh, THAT'S it! It's about time we settled this!" He screamed in fury and rushed towards the door. He threw it open with his fist raised, but managed to pull the punch when he realized who I was. "Loki? Shizuka?"

"You're too easy, Joey," I teased as Shizuka and I walked past him. "How'd you like my Kaiba voice? It sounded pretty real, didn't it?"

"I gotta admit," said Tristan, "you certainly had _me_ fooled." He stood up and took Shizuka by the hand. "It's always a pleasure to see you, Shizuka. Here, take my seat."

"Um, thanks," she replied. I felt a few pings of annoyance with Tristan as he guided her to the indicated seat.

"Hello, Loki," greeted Pharaoh. "I'm glad to see you again, but it's a shame we couldn't meet in more favorable circumstances."

"Alas, such is our way," I sadly stated. "Drawn together are we by conflict are we, locked in a constant struggle; either against each other or the forces of darkness."

"Shakespeare here has a point," said Joey. "It seems that you two always meet in a crisis. Or maybe it's the other way around. Maybe Loki's just happens to be bad luck."

"Me? Yugi's the one with those cursed Millennium Items! He's attracting the bad guys; I just get caught in the crossfire."

Pharaoh chuckled slightly. "I suppose you have a point. But if you're worried about being caught in the crossfire, then why are you here?"

"Hey, I saved the world too, you know. I'll probably be of little use to someone who saved it twice, but I'll be happy to lend any support I can. And do you know why?"

"Because we're friends," said Joey, "and we'll do anything to support each other."

"…Actually, I was going to say it's because I rock, but yours works too."

A few minutes later, the news came on, and the reporter stated that the appearing Duel Monsters weren't exclusive to Japan. There were monster sightings all over the world. "We'll now turn over to our crew in America, where Kaiba Corp's President, Seto Kaiba, is making a statement." The camera cut to Kaiba, who stood behind the podium with a solemn expression. But then, what else is new?

"After these events," said Kaiba, "we completely shut down our system to test it. But during that time, monsters still appeared. Therefore, something other than our system is causing the monsters to be created." Reporters started shooting off more questions, but he walked away in silence.

I frowned. "So, according to Kaiba, the holograms weren't caused by his system. It begs the question; where are they coming from?"

"Kaiba's obviously covering up," said Tristan. "Who else has the technology to project holograms like that?"

"What about Schroeder Corp?" Shizuka pointed out. "They've been experimenting with holo-imaging devices."

"That's a point," I agreed. "Kaiba is a lot of things, but he doesn't strike me as a liar."

"Hmm," mumbled Téa. "I wonder if it has something to do with the stone tablet."

"I think so too," said Pharaoh. "I think the force I felt in the museum triggered the emergence of these creatures, which would mean that the monsters are real. I wonder if that's what Rex and Weevil were talking about."

I raised my eyebrow. "Rex and Weevil? What are you talking about?"

"We met them earlier, standing in a complete daze," explained Téa. "Weevil said 'This is the first sign', and Rex said 'Soon this world will end'. I thought they were just in shock."

"But that doesn't-" Before I could finish my thought, we heard a loud crash downstairs, and Grandpa crying out.

Yugi appeared in the Pharaoh's place and yelled, "GRANDPA!" We quickly ran downstairs to see what happened. Grandpa was lying on the floor, and the door was smashed open.

I knelt down to check his pulse. "He'll be alright, Yugi."

"The…the God Cards…" moaned the old man. "You must…retrieve them!"

"Don't try to move. You'll only end up hurting yourself."

Joey ran out of the shop, but stopped abruptly. "It's Obelisk!"

We all ran outside to investigate, and sure enough, he towered over the city. A second later, Slifer and Ra appeared as well. "But how?" I asked. "I thought only those with royal Egyptian blood could wield God Cards."

Suddenly, we were blinded by headlights, shining from three motorcycles that blocked out path. One of the riders said, "When the forbidden door is opened, the light of Orichalcos will punish this filthy world. We are Doma's three swordsmen."

"You punks don't scare me!" snapped Joey.

"Give them back!" demanded Yugi. "The God Cards don't belong to you!"

"They do now, nameless Pharaoh. Come to the unfinished building." With that, they turned and drove to a building with a giant crane on top of it.

As Pharaoh switched with Yugi I said, "So, now you have to win all three God Cards back again. What fun, eh?"

Once we arrived atop the building, a robed man appeared atop the giant crane. He leapt from his vantage point and onto a scaffold near us, removing his hood. He was a man in his late fifties, with a black beard, crew cut, and a monocle. And he wore a green Duel Disk that vaguely resembled a serpent. "I am Gurimo, and I serve Lord Rafael," he said, indicating the three bikers, who stood even higher up on the building. One of them had short blond hair, one had medium red hair, and the last had spiky brown hair.

Pharaoh jumped onto the scaffold and warned, "The God cards have a power more dangerous than you can understand. Please, give them back before someone gets hurt."

"I'm well aware of their power, and if you want them back, you'll have to duel me."

"I accept," said Pharaoh as he activated his Duel Disk. Gurimo activated his too, and the game began.

4000/4000

"I'll go first," said Pharaoh. "I'll play Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600) in defense. Then I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"I hope that guy doesn't use the God cards!" said Téa. "Nothing can stand up to them."

"That's not true," I argued. "Yugi proved that he could take on all three."

"He's right," said Joey. "There's a reason they call Yugi the King of Games! He almost never loses."

"For my move," said Gurimo, "I summon Marauding Captain (1200/800) in attack mode. And this young man has a special ability, letting me special summon another level four monster from my hand. I choose Shadow Tamer (800/700) in attack mode, and the worst is yet to come."

As he picked a card out of his hand, I sensed a severe chill pierce my being. _"Not good. Whatever that thing is, I sense it's incredibly dangerous."_

"I'm about to play a card more powerful than all three Egyptian God cards: the Seal of Orichalcos!" The second he played the field spell, he was consumed by a dark green aura. A circular boundary filled with magical symbols surrounded the duelists, and series of lines drew out a six-pointed star within it. The shockwave knocked me and the other spectators to the ground.

"My friends!" cried out Pharaoh. He stepped towards us, but found himself unable to cross the boundary of the seal.

"The Seal of Orichalcos prevents us from leaving, and all others from entering," explained Gurimo. "When the duel is over, only the victor can leave. The loser's soul remains locked inside the seal!" He raised his head, revealing the Orichalcos symbol emblazoned on his forehead.

Pharaoh turned back to Gurimo. "I'm no stranger to ancient magic. Behold the power of my Millennium Puzzle!" His energy exploded, but quickly fizzled away.

"The Orichalcos existed long before your Millennium Puzzle. Your toy is useless! And by the way, the Orichalcos turns all of my monsters into the dark attribute." The Orichalcos symbol also appeared on the foreheads of the monsters. Their eyes turned red, and their attack points increased by 500. "Marauding Captain, strike down his monster!"

Once it was cleared away Pharaoh declared, "I activate the trap, Soul Rope! It allows me to special summon a level four monster in my deck at a cost of 1000 lifepoints. Come forth, Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800)!"

3000/4000

"You'll have to do better than that," said Gurimo. "I'll set one card facedown. Why don't you try again?"

As the rest of us managed to regain our footing Shizuka asked, "How can such a dangerous card exist?"

"I think it was created by some kind of magic," I answered. "This is certainly not a tournament-legal card, but there's not much we can do about it now."

"For my move," said Pharaoh, "I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700) in attack mode!"

"You've triggered my trap," declared Gurimo. "Hidden Soldiers! It lets me special summon a level four dark monster from my hand, and I choose Makyura the Destructor (1600/1200) in attack mode! And he too gains 500 attack points from the Seal of Orichalcos."

"Next, I play Shallow Grave!" said Pharaoh. "This lets us both special summon a monster from our graveyards in defense mode. Since your graveyard's empty, you get nothing back. But I bring back Beta the Magnet Warrior! And since I have all three Magnet Warriors on the field, I can sacrifice them to special summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850)! Valkyrion, destroy his Marauding Captain!"

3000/2200

"Well played," complimented Gurimo. "I haven't faced a challenge like this in some time. But in the end, you will meet the same fate as all of my victims."

"No sweat, Yugi!" encouraged Joey. "You have one of the strongest monsters in the game out! The only thing that could beat it is an Egyptian God…"

Gurimo grinned. "That's right. I'll destroy you with your own God Card! But first, I use Monster Reborn to bring Marauding Captain back from the graveyard."

"Don't do it!" shouted Pharaoh. "Only certain duelists can use an Egyptian God card!"

Blissfully ignoring Pharaoh's advice he continued, "And now, I sacrifice my three monsters to summon Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!" I thought the worst for that poor man. But to my surprise, the seal symbol appeared on Obelisk's head too, and his points were raised. "The power of the Orichalcos has merged the most powerful creature that ever existed with the most incredible force ever imagined!"

"This can't be," I gasped. "The almighty Obelisk the Tormentor succumbs to this man? Who is he?"

"Perhaps it's not Gurimo controlling him," muttered Shizuka. "You said the Seal of Orichalcos was real magic, right? What if…"

I quickly caught on to her point. "Obelisk is being controlled by the Orichalcos itself!"

"Obelisk!" declared Gurimo. "Destroy his Valkyrion with your fist of fate!"

2000/2200

"There's not a card in your deck that can match Obelisk!" Gurimo swooned for a second, and I noticed his aura flickered. I guess the power of the Orichalcos can be quite taxing if it's being used to control a God Card.

"I play Graceful Charity," said Pharaoh, "drawing three cards and discarding two. Then I play Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200) in defense mode, set one card facedown and end my turn."

"I'll set one card, and destroy your monster with Obelisk the Tormentor!" Once it was gone he said, "The Age of Destruction is here, and the Earth shall be shrouded in darkness. Your soul will fuel the force that devastates mankind."

"What do you mean?"

"A great beast is now awakening from its ancient slumber to complete what it began centuries ago. But before this beast can arise, it must absorb enough souls."

"Wait a minute," said Téa. "Rex and Weevil said similar things earlier."

"You're right," agreed Pharaoh. Turning to Gurimo he demanded, "Have you done anything to them?"

The brown-haired biker laughed. "You sure do ask a lot of questions," he said in a cockney accent.

"I had enough of you," snapped Joey. He and Tristan ran to find a way up, but Joey stopped short of the side of the building. Tristan skidded to a stop, accidentally pushing Joey over. He quickly shot his hand out and grabbed Joey's hand. "Are you _trying_ to kill me?" he demanded.

The blond-haired one pulled out a pair of cards, with Rex and Weevil's pictures. "Their souls are in my hands. They're offerings for the ancient god."

Once Téa and Tristan pulled Joey up, Gurimo said, "The sooner you make your next move, the sooner Obelisk will wipe out your lifepoints."

"Obelisk is powerful, but not unbeatable," said Pharaoh. "That card belongs to me, and I'm quite familiar with its strengths and weaknesses. I play Monster Reborn to bring back Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!"

"I'm not impressed. I've already destroyed that monster."

"Sorry, but it's time for you to say goodbye to your God Card. Valkyrion, disassemble into the three Magnet Warriors! Next, I play the spell card, Brave Attack! Alpha, attack Obelisk the Tormentor!" Of course, Alpha was useless against it. "Next, I attack with Beta!" Again, there didn't seem to be any effect, apart from a gash across Obelisk's body.

Gurimo laughed. "Pathetic! Your monsters can't even scratch Obelisk!"

"Perhaps you should look again; there's quite a large scratch across your monster! Brave Attack allows my monsters to combine their attacks, adding their attack strengths together."

"Nice collaboration," I stated. "Together, Alpha and Beta have a total 3100 attack points."

"Your Obelisk has 4500 attack points," continued Pharaoh, "which means I only need 1400 more to beat it, and Gamma has more than that! Gamma, destroy Obelisk the Tormentor!"

2000/2100

As the secondary effect of Brave Attack wiped out Pharaoh's affected monsters I said, "That's the fourth time I had to watch my God Card go down in flames. At least this time, it belonged to an enemy."

I heard brown spiky hair say, "The Pharaoh is very powerful."

Short blond hair agreed, "It's true. He learned to defeat the God Cards."

"I don't need Obelisk the Tormentor to defeat you!" snapped Gurimo. "I play Card of Sanctity, allowing us both to draw until we hold six cards."

"Then I special summon Watapon (200/300) in defense mode."

"It's still my turn!" protested Gurimo.

"True, but Watapon can be instantly special summoned to the field if it's added to my hand by a card effect."

"That card is useless anyway. I summon Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1600) in attack mode!"

"You've activated my trap!" declared Pharaoh. "Dark Renewal sacrifices your monster, as well as mine, to special summon a spellcaster from my graveyard! Come forth, Dark Magician (2500/2100)!"

"But I never destroyed that monster! …I see. You discarded Dark Magician when you played Graceful Charity. I suppose I'll simply set one card and end my turn."

"In that case, I attack directly with Dark Magician!"

"I think not! I activate my facedown card, Shield Wall! It places four Stone Soldier tokens (0/0) to defend me." Once Dark Magician destroyed one he added, "Next, I play another facedown card, Bronze Knight! By discarding any number of cards from my hand, I can special summon that many Bronze Knight tokens. So, I discard three to create three Bronze Knights (500/500)!"

"Hold!" I snapped. "That's an illegal move; you have six monsters on the field!"

"That's right," agreed Joey. "Page Three of the rulebook clearly states that only five monsters per duelist can be in play!"

"Too bad for you," said blond hair, "the Orichalcos allows the duelist to play monsters in his magic and trap zone."

"That means a maximum of ten monsters?" asked Shizuka.

"That's right," confirmed Gurimo. "Furthermore, you can't attack the back row of monsters without first going through the front row. And of course, my monsters are all strengthened by the Orichalcos. Your lone Dark Magician is nothing compared to my army of monsters!"

"It's still my move," said Pharaoh. "I'll set two cards and play Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in defense mode, ending my turn." As Gurimo drew he said, "I activate my trap, Dust Tornado! This lets me destroy one spell or trap on the field, and I choose the Seal of Orichalcos!" Sadly, the spell was unaffected.

"You don't get it, do you?" asked blond hair. "The Seal of Orichalcos is too powerful to be destroyed by a measly trap card."

"For my move," said Gurimo, "I play the spell, The Warrior Returning Alive! It lets me bring Warrior Dai Grepher back to my hand. And now I summon him again! Next, I play continuous spell, The A. Forces, which increases the attack points of all my warriors by 200 for every warrior and spellcaster on my field."

"That's 3000 attack points Warrior Dai Grepher has," I murmured, "And 1800 for each of the Bronze Knights. Is it me, or are the opponents getting progressively harder?"

"Warrior Dai Grepher, destroy the Dark Magician!"

1500/2100

"Bronze Knight, wipe out his Queen's Knight!"

"I don't think so!" said Pharaoh. "I activate Magical Academy! It returns Queen's Knight to my deck, and lets me special summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) from my deck in her place, with an extra 500 attack points. Plus, her special effect gives her 300 attack points for the Dark Magician in my graveyard."

"Useless!" said Gurimo. "A few extra points won't help against my warriors."

"I know there's one card in my deck that can change that." With intense concentration, he drew, and I sensed another Destiny Draw. "…And now, I pay 1000 lifepoints to activate Diffusion-Wave Motion!"

500/2100

"This spell lets her attack each and every one of your monsters! The more monsters you have, the more lifepoints you lose!" Once all the frontline Stone Soldier tokens were wiped out, Pharaoh started taking down the Bronze Knight tokens in the back. And as each one went away, Warrior Dai Grepher lost more attack points until it too was wiped out.

500/0

Pharaoh fell to his knees, exhausted. "That…was close."

Gurimo yelled, "Rafael-sama! Catch!" He spun around and threw Obelisk the Tormentor up to the blond one. The Seal started to contract until it only surrounded Gurimo. He screamed in agony as he was engulfed in a bright green light. Then the Seal faded, and he collapsed.

"Gurimo," mumbled Rafael.

"It doesn't matter," said brown spiky hair. "Now we know more about the Pharaoh's dueling strategies."

They turned to leave, but Pharaoh yelled out, "STOP! Return the Egyptian God Cards!"

"Sorry," said Rafael, "but you have to beat all three of us to win the cards back. But, just for being such a good sport, I'll free the souls of your friends." He tossed the cards with Rex and Weevil's souls to the ground. They bore the duo's images for a second, before they became blank.

"Let's go now!" demanded Joey.

Brown spiky hair laughed. "There's no rush; we'll fight soon. The name's Valon. Remember it, Wheeler!"

"So," I said, "it's Rafael, Valon, and…?"

"Alistair," introduced the last one. "My quarrel's not with you, so you'd better not cross me."

"_You've_ already crossed _me_," I snarled. "Rafael, Valon, and Alistair: I'll engrave them on your tombstones so I don't forget." With that, the three of them left.

Pharaoh ran over to Gurimo. "Is he dead?" asked Tristan.

"He certainly seems that way," I said. "I should be able to detect auras from anything with a soul, but I'm getting nothing from him."

"With a _soul_," Pharaoh emphasized. He showed me the Seal of Orichalcos card that was played; it now bore Gurimo's image. "It's been trapped in this card. But where does this power come from?"

"Hey, look at this," said Téa, taking a necklace off Gurimo. It had a simple green jewel at the end. "It's very pretty."

Shizuka took it and examined it herself. "You're right. Personally, I think it matches-"

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

"Loki-Sensei's eyes," I said. I immediately froze when I realized I was in a completely different place than I was three seconds ago. _"…This isn't Domino."_ For some reason, I was standing on the steps of what looked like a Greek temple, overlooking in a grassy plain with lots of Duel Monsters walking and flying around.

"_So, why aren't I scared like last time?"_ I wondered. Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around, startled, until I found out who it was. "Dark Magician Girl?"

"Hi!" she said. "There's probably much you don't understand. Follow me, and I'll explain everything."

"Ok." It was strange. I knew I should've been scared, but Dark Magician Girl had some calming effect on me.

As we walked up the stairs she explained, "The monsters that are in your world are no mere holograms. This is the realm of monsters, created by the thought energy of the human world." She stopped and pointed to the sky, where a giant reptilian eye was peering down on the world. "The creature in the sky is breaking the rift between our worlds; that's how I brought you here. Soon, it will start consuming us, as well as the humans."

"That's terrible!"

"Don't worry." She led me deeper into the temple, until we reached a very big room. In the altar in the center, there were three crystal dragon statues, each with a sword sticking in them. "These are the three legendary dragons: Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos. These three dragons had the power to seal away the great beast. However, a man named Dartz used his magic to weaken them by turning them into dragons. In their weakened state, he was able to freeze them."

"_Dartz? Is he the man those bikers were working for?"_ I thought. "Dragons are some of the strongest monsters in the game. If turning them into dragons _weakened_ them, then they must've been indescribably powerful to begin with."

"They were," Dark Magician Girl answered. "And the only way to defeat Dartz and stop his dangerous ambitions is to restore these dragons to their true forms. Certainly, the first step is to remove the swords and free these dragons. Only the chosen three can complete this task; one of them is the Pharaoh, for he is a descendant of Timaeus."

"Who are the other two?" I asked.

"The other two are Seto Kaiba, the descendant of Sir Critias, and Joey Wheeler, the descendant of Sir Hermos."

I sat on the floor. "Why do you tease me with this information? To prove how useless I am to this situation?"

"On the contrary: you're the key to everything." It was impossible for me to hide my shock. "As you are Joey's sister, you too share the blood of Hermos, and that means you're worthy of going on a very important quest."

"What do you mean?"

"In a few days, the man known as Pegasus will create a card known as Legend of Heart. It will turn the dragons back into the legendary warriors. However, while this card will have the power to release the warriors, it will have a powerful seal on it. It'll be too risky to create this card without the seal, because it would've been detected by Dartz. To release the seal, and make useable by the Pharaoh, you must find the swords once wielded by the warriors; only with their combined power can you activate the dormant power of the card."

"I understand," I answered. "My quest is to fix the weapon that the chosen ones will use to defeat Dartz."

She gave me a respectful bow. "Shizuka Wheeler, descendant of Hermos, only you can find the ancient keys; only you can release Legend of Heart."

A second later, I was standing back on the building with my friends, holding the greenstone pendant. "What?" Tristan asked.

"Huh?" I asked.

"You said, 'I think it matches', but then you zoned out for a second."

"Oh, right!" I exclaimed, remembering our earlier conversation. "I think it matches Loki's eyes. They look kind of similar."

"It's true," agreed Loki. "But please be careful with that. I sense a lot of dark energy from it, for such a tiny rock. …Did you always have that big wristband?"

I looked at my right hand, and was quite surprised by the appearance of the black wristband, with a compass attached. The end of the needle had a purple stone, and it pulled to the east, no matter how I moved my arm. "It begins," I muttered.

"What do you mean?" Feeling no real compulsion to answer, I simply tossed the green stone to Yugi and started to walk to the downwards ramp. "Hey, don't walk away when I'm talking to you!"

Joey ran over and grabbed my left shoulder. "Sis? I don't think you're quite well. Maybe we should go see a doctor."

"No thanks," I said, shrugging him off. "Dark Magician Girl says I have to help you save the world from Dartz."

"'Dartz'?" asked Yugi. "'Dark Magician girl'?"

"I could explain, but the sooner I leave, the better."

I was nearly at the exit, but Loki blocked my path. "You're very serious, about aren't you?" he asked. I nodded. "…Very well. In that case, I want you to have this." He reached into his coat pocket and handed me a deck, as well as a map and wallet. "This map will lead you to the Selkirk Rex personal airplane hangar, depending on how far you need to go. You'll find a debit card in the wallet, with enough funds to support you as long as you don't get greedy."

I took it and looked through the cards. "Is this your deck?"

"It's a spare deck. It's not exactly like mine, but it's in case I accidentally lose my real one. It's not that I don't respect your current cards: just think of it as a promise that you'll come back and return it."

I smiled. "Arigato, Loki-Sensei." With that, I left.

My first destination was Joey's and my dad's apartment. When I arrived, the door was opened slightly. I peered inside and asked, "Dad? Are you here?" There was no answer, so I assumed he was either passed out, or was simply careless enough to leave his door open when he was out. When I stepped inside, I found out it was the latter. I walked over to a chest that had a lot of travel equipment; before dad became a souse, he used to take us everywhere. With several travel atlases in hand, I left the apartment, closing the door behind me.

Heading outside to a bench, I started looking through the atlases. I soon found out that the compass I wore not only pointed to my destination in real life, but by placing it on a map, it pointed to wherever in the world it happened to be. I flipped through several pages, getting more specific to the destination, until I determined that the first magic sword was in Balading: the Great Wall of China.

I stood up and hailed a taxi. When I climbed inside I said, "Oyamanta, please," as that was where the hangar was. And that's how my journey began.

**End Chapter**

If there's one thing Shizuka learned from Loki, it's how to get herself into trouble. How can she survive, cut off from her teacher and friends?**  
**


	2. Timaeus Awakens

**Loki's Eyes**

"I still don't get what you were thinking," said Joey, as we were walking together several hours later. "How long were you teaching her to duel, anyway? And you're letting her go off on some adventure to God-knows-where while in some weird daze?"

"Didn't you do the exact same thing in Duelist Kingdom? And with all due respect, you _still_ seem kinda dazed."

"Can't argue with that logic," joked Téa.

"Hey, that was different!" snapped Joey. "I had to join the tournament to get the money needed for Shizuka's operation."

"You wanted to help her," I summarized. "So, let her help you. I won't pretend I know what she plans to accomplish with her journey, but I'm sure she has all of our interests at heart. Don't take it away from her."

"I guess you're right, but I'm still worried. …Hey, there are the two numbskulls now!" It was true. They were sitting together on the sidewalk, rubbing their heads.

"It looks like they just got their souls back," I observed. "They may be jerks, but we need to be gentle with-" Before I finished, Joey and Tristan were shaking them down. "Release them at once! Stop being so careless!"

Once they were let down, Yugi asked, "What happened to you guys yesterday?"

"We were challenged to a duel by some bearded man," answered Rex. "He squashed Weevil like a cockroach."

Weevil angrily smacked Rex upside the head. "You held me back! Besides, with that weird card he played, we didn't stand a chance. It was the Seal of…something."

"The Seal of Orichalcos?" offered Yugi.

"Hey, that's right!" snarled Rex. "Are you Gurimo's partners?"

Joey put him in a headlock. "Hey! Yugi's the one who got your souls back!"

"That's right," I agreed. "So, start showing some respect. Yesterday, you were ranting something about the end of the world, right?"

As Joey let Rex go, Weevil crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "…No, I don't remember that. Hey, can we see those God Cards?"

"They were stolen," answered Yugi.

"No worries," assured Joey. "We'll win them back, one-two-three! Let's go." As we headed off he called back, "Let us know if you see three suspicious-looking biker punks."

"Ok!" Rex and Weevil called back.

As we walked, Tristan muttered, "Let's sum up: first, things got freaky at the museum, then monsters started appearing around the world, and now a gang of bikers are stealing people's souls with a Duel Monsters card!"

"You're right," said Téa. "All these things probably have something to do with one another."

Joey groaned. "Why do these weird things always happen to us?"

I smirked. "Suddenly, my theory about Millennium Items attracting trouble seems more realistic."

Suddenly, we heard a girl yell out, "Darling!" We turned, and I saw Rebecca Hawkins running towards us. Then she flung herself onto Yugi, hugging him tightly.

"Um…hi?" greeted Yugi, clearly feeling very confused.

"Uh, Yugi?" asked Téa. "Do you have any idea who she is?"

"Aw, have you forgotten?" she asked. "Well, here's a hint." She let go of Yugi and pulled out a card I never saw. It seemed to be a promotional card called Ties of Friendship. "You gave it to me, remember, Yugi?"

"Rebecca?"

"It's that brat!" exclaimed Joey. "…But she looks different. Did she get a haircut?"

"No," said Tristan. "She traded her teddy bear for glasses."

Rebecca proudly smirked. "I graduated, so I don't need a teddy any more. Besides, I have a boyfriend!" Then she squeezed Yugi's arm tightly.

"She's really grown up fast!" admired Joey. "It's an American thing."

I crossed my arms and smiled. _"They make such a cute little couple. _Very_ little."_ Keeping that playful thought to myself I said, "Rebecca, I haven't seen you since I kicked you out of the Battle City tournament."

She looked up at me for a brief second. "Oh, yeah! You're Siege, right?"

"That's the name I gave you, but it's actually Loki. I fulfilled my promise and kicked Kaiba's ass. And I did it with a one-turn kill." I grinned. "Oh, how he must hate me."

"Anyway, my Grandpa wants to see you all." And so she led us back to the Domino museum, where an old man waited for us by the stone tablet, along with Solomon Moto. He was much taller than Solomon, and seemed to be a few years younger.

He turned when he heard our approach. "Ah, Yugi! Just the man I needed to see. I have a theory that all of these monster sightings have something to do with the Nameless Pharaoh."

I raised my eyebrow. "You know of the other Yugi?"

"Indeed." Indicating the tablet he said, "These carvings confirm what he's suspected all along; that Yugi shares a bond with a 5000-year-old Pharaoh! I spent the latter part of my career studying Duel Monsters, and learned that it started as more than a game."

"_He means the Shadow Games,"_ I realized.

"As more monsters were collected, the sorcerers' powers grew stronger until the shadow magic spun out of control and threatened to destroy all life on earth. But one man was able to turn the darkness to light: the great Pharaoh whose power Yugi carries. But that was a long time ago, and you're probably wondering how it's connected to present events. I recently joined a research project to discover Atlantis."

"Oh, right!" exclaimed Téa. "I saw it on the news!"

"Is it real, Professor?" I asked. "Is there really an Atlantis?"

"I may indeed have discovered Atlantis, a world that existed long before ancient Egypt. But what puzzled me most were the carvings I saw there." He pulled out a few photographs and handed them to us.

"Oh!" said Yugi. "They look like Duel Monsters!"

"Correct. These monsters didn't originate 5000 years ago in Egypt, but 10,000 years ago in Atlantis!"

"This is incredible!" shouted Grandpa. "Your discovery could completely rewrite history!"

"Perhaps, but there's still quite I bit I don't know."

"I wonder," muttered Yugi as he flipped though the pictures, "if the recent crisis of monsters appearing is a sign of the end of the world. Could that be what Weevil meant yesterday?"

"The stone tablets of 10,000 years ago, Egypt 5000 years ago, and the current crisis; it can't be a coincidence."

"Oh, come on!" snapped Tristan. "Duel Monsters is a game created by Pegasus! Someone must be playing a trick with the Duel Disks."

"You heard Kaiba," I argued. "He said his system wasn't responsible."

"So then, you're going to tell me that the monsters are real?"

"They _are_ real," I snarled. "Believe what you will, but I sensed those beasts were quite real."

"It's true," confirmed Hawkins. "The monsters can be seen in the ancient carvings. I believe that many rituals, magic and spells throughout history are evidence of humanity's desire to invoke monsters from another world."

Tristan just laughed. "Give me a break!" Rebecca angrily kicked him in the shin. "OW!"

"Pegasus created Duel Monsters after seeing the ancient stone carvings!" snapped Rebecca.

Hawkins shrugged. "It's alright. I'm no stranger to ridicule, and it _is_ a bit farfetched."

"But it's true!"

"I believe you," said Joey. "After all the weird things we've been through, I'll believe anything!"

I nodded in agreement. "The power of the God Cards is certainly quite real; Shadow Game or not, a hit by any of them is fatal, and that's ignoring the damage to lifepoints. And now, we know it's not just the chosen duelists that can control a God Card."

"The Duel Monster's world…" murmured Yugi.

Rebecca nodded. "Some hypotheses state that in different space and time exist other worlds, like the Duel Monster's world."

Tristan raised his eyebrow. "Those are pretty big words coming from such a little kid."

Rebecca kicked him again. "I'm not a little kid, I'm a college student!"

Hawkins chuckled. "She's quite gifted."

"Oh, I'm just your average child genius: G-E-N-I-U-S."

"Great," muttered Joey. "Can you spell 'obnoxious'?"

"HEY!"

"Rebecca!" snapped Hawkins. "That's not the behavior of a college student." Clearing his throat, he continued. "When Egyptian sorcerers conjured these monsters 5000 years ago, the Pharaoh was there to save mankind from destruction. Now that Pharaoh has been reborn in Yugi, which could mean that mankind needs his help again."

"Doma's three swordsmen said the same thing," stated Yugi.

I nodded. "'When the forbidden door is opened, the light of Orichalcos will punish this filthy world'."

"I think I may have a clue, though." Yugi reached into his pocket and pulled out the green stone. "Professor, have you seen anything like it?"

Hawkins looked very surprised. "It looks very similar to something I found on my expedition. May I take it back to my lab?"

"Sure." For some reason, as the green stone exchanged hands, I felt strange. You know the feeling of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth? I felt that all over my body. "You ok, Loki?"

I realized then that I was making a strange face. "…Yeah, I'm well enough," I lied.

We headed outside, and Solomon hailed a taxi. Once one pulled up he said, "I'll take Arthur and Rebecca to the airport."

Rebecca gave Yugi a peck on the cheek and said, "Goodbye, darling!" A few seconds later, they drove off.

"It's strange," said Yugi. "I can't believe all this happened to the other me."

Joey yawned. "Well, it's been an exhausting day. It's about time I headed home. Later, guys!"

As he, Tristan and Téa walked off, I heard Téa say, "After that story, it's going to be nightmare central for me!"

Yugi just stood there, looking around. "What's up?" I asked.

"I could've sworn…did you hear a girl calling for help?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Not that I'm aware of." I closed my eyes to get a feel of the energy around me. "…I don't sense anyone nearby. Are you sure you weren't just hearing things?"

"I guess…" He was silent for a moment before saying, "If you want, you can sleep over at my house."

"It'd be a pleasure."

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

Once we landed, I studied my compass again. I looked to the direction it pointed. _"It's the Great Wall of China. I hoped that when I came here, it would be on vacation. But it seems as though what I'm looking for is there."_

Once I left the hangar, I took a rickshaw to the Great Wall. I preferred it to a taxi since it reduced air pollution. I wished Loki was there with me, sitting beside me. I actually had several reasons for that. Firstly, I liked being close to him. But more importantly, I was a little scared to be on my own.

"_**You aren't truly alone."**_ I looked around, surprised. I had no idea where that voice came from. _**"Don't be afraid. I'm speaking to you through my spare deck. It's a trick I picked up from Darius Lynch."**_

"…_Loki?"_

"_**That's right. You can't see me, nor can I see you. But I want you to know that I'm always by your side as long as you hold onto it."**_

"_Don't you trust me to act on my own?"_

"_**If I didn't, I would've gone with you. It's important to get yourself into a little trouble, so long as you can learn from it. Just think of me if you need me, ok?"**_

"…_Ok."_ A second later, I felt his presence leave. _"Thanks. You really made me feel better. I'm not scared anymore."_

About five minutes later, we arrived. I paid the man and walked through one of the doors. Following my compass, I was led to a chamber in the heart of the Great Wall. But someone was already there, standing with his back to me. "Who are you?" I asked the man. He turned and faced me when he heard my voice. "Are you…?"

"How about _you_ introduce yourself first?" he asked in a soft, sharp tone. He actually sounded like an older Mokuba Kaiba. In fact, if Mokuba was my age, he'd probably look like the man before me; the man's dark brown hair was almost the same length as Mokuba's, if not a little longer. He was dressed strangely; he wore ragged clothes like a peasant in the middle ages, but also had on some chain mail like a knight.

"I am…Shizuka Wheeler," I answered. "Um…do you know…Kaiba?"

"Kaiba, you say?" He grinned and closed his eyes. "That rings a bell. My name is Daisuke. Are you working for Dartz?"

"Are _you_?" I challenged.

He opened his eyes and rubbed his chin in contemplation, as if he didn't know the answer himself. "What if I told you I was? Would it affect your answer?"

"…No, it wouldn't! I'm not with Dartz. In fact, I'm here to stop him."

"You're a very honest person." He took a short step towards me and said, "But if I'm working for Dartz, and you're fighting against him, then that makes us enemies."

"But we don't have to fight! Just walk away; there's no need for any of us to get hurt."

"They say a chain is only as strong as the weakest link," he said. "I must test your strength." A flash of light later, a weird Duel Disk appeared on Daisuke's arm. It wasn't like the one Gurimo used; this one was colored magenta, and looked like a tiny shield.

I had no idea whether this guy was a friend or enemy, but something inside me told me not to refuse his challenge. I think it was Loki's teachings that did that. "Alright, Daisuke, I'll take you on!"

"I'm very glad to hear it," replied Daisuke. "Let's duel."

4000/4000

"Ladies first," I said. "I'll set two cards facedown, and summon Sonic Duck (1700/700) in attack mode! Make your move."

"My turn. I activate Future Fusion! It lets me send from my hand and deck to the graveyard fusion material monsters. Then they fuse together after two turns. I'm sending four machines to the graveyard, one of which is Cyber Dragon. Then I'll set a monster, and use the spell card, Magic Reflector! It places a counter on my Future Fusion, which will protect it from destruction once. Now, I end my turn."

"I summon Raging Flame Sprite (100/200), and activate my Gravity Bind! It prevents all monsters level four or higher from attacking. Also, I activate my Solemn Wishes, which increases my lifepoints by 500 each turn. Flame Sprite, attack him directly!"

4000/3900

My monster then grew bigger. "My monster's effect lets it attack directly, even if there are monsters on the field. Plus, each time it does, it gains 1000 attack points."

Daisuke smiled. "That's a very interesting monster."

"Sonic Duck, attack his monster!" Daisuke's Drillroid (1600/1600) was destroyed, and he was defenseless. "I end my turn."

"It seems as though you have some very potent level three monsters," he said. "I may not be able to stop your direct attacks, but I can stop everything else! I'll set another monster and end my turn."

4500/3900

"In that case, I summon Queen's Double (350/300)! Flame Sprite, attack him directly!"

4500/2800

"My new monster can also attack directly," I pointed out. "Go, Queen's double!"

4500/2450

"And lastly, Sonic Duck attacks your monster!" The duck destroyed the Cannon Soldier (1400/1300). "Since my Raging Flame Sprite gains 1000 attack points each time it attacks directly, it's up to 2100. Next turn, you're finished."

Daisuke grinned. "It's time. It's been two turns since I played Future Fusion, which means it activates now! Fuse, my precious machines! Form into…Chimeratech Overdragon (?/?)!" A second later, a gigantic robotic dragon with four heads appeared on the field. "When it appears on the field, all other cards on my field are destroyed. However, thanks to the counter on Future Fusion, it actually survives. My monster's here to stay!"

I shivered. "What a beast!"

"It's even more impressive than it looks. It's created by fusing Cyber Dragon with any number of machine monsters. Its attack and defense points are determined by how many monsters were fused to create this monster: 800 for each one!"

"That's 3200 points total!"

"And that's not all. This monster can attack a monster for each monster used for its fusion. Since I used four monsters, it can attack four times."

"But," I argued, "your monster is at level nine, meaning it can't attack because of my Gravity Bind."

"True. However, one of the monsters I sent to the graveyard is Jinzo (2400/1500), which works wonders against trap cards. I use Silent Doom, letting me bring it to the field in defense mode. And that negates your trap!"

I felt extremely cold. "But, I-"

"Sorry, but you're finished. Chimeratech Overdragon, destroy his Queen's double!"

1650/2450

"Next, your duck is destroyed!"

150/2450

"And lastly, I annihilate your Raging Flame Sprite and your lifepoints!"

0/2450

I sank to my knees, completely stunned. "I…I lost." _"I've never been so overpowered before. Even _Loki_ never beat me that badly."_

I reprimanded myself, knowing exactly what Loki would say in this situation: "Butch up, Shizuka. I need you to help me save the world, and you're no use to me if you fall to pieces when you lose."

He would've said that more harshly than he meant it. That's how I found the strength to stand up and say, "Good game."

Daisuke laughed and applauded. "Bravo, Shizuka-san. Had you stopped my Future Fusion card before it activated, I would've surely lost. Yes…the chain is quite strong; you're clearly the one chosen to unlock Legend of Heart. I'll join you."

I raised my eyebrow. "What are you talking about? You said-"

"Wrong. If you think hard enough, you'll realize I never said I served Dartz."

I thought about it. _"It's true. He only asked 'What if I told you I was', and 'if I worked for Dartz', but at no point did he actually say he _was_ against me."_ Out loud I said, "If you're not working with Dartz, then what's up with that odd Duel Disk of yours?"

"It's true that the thing on my arm can serve as a Duel Disk, but its true purpose is much more significant." He removed his cards and handed me the device. "It's the crest of the Legendary Knights. It holds the key to returning the dragons to their human forms."

"This can release the warriors? How do I use it?"

"As it is right now, it can only serve as a Duel Disk. To release the warriors, we must find the sword of each one. Then, we place the weapons on the crest, and then Legend of Heart becomes unsealed."

"But there aren't any places on the crest to hold the swords."

Daisuke shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. At least be grateful for what I _do_ know."

"But how _do_ you know all this?" I asked. "Who exactly are you?"

"I am Daisuke, the squire of the legendary Sir Critias!" he replied with unmasked pride. "Dark Magician Girl called my spirit to this plane so I could guide you to the legendary weapons."

"_That explains his resemblance to the brothers Kaiba."_ I nodded and said, "In that case, lead on. Where is the first weapon?"

"The first is in a hidden altar under Beijing. It's the Sword of Justice, once held by Timaeus." He turned and walked down a passage. Without facing me he exclaimed, "Hurry, time is wasting."

Now, I wasn't entirely sure I could trust that guy. However, my compass told me to follow him, so I decided the right thing to do was to at least follow him until I came up with a better idea.

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

Daisuke led me to a secret passage that led into a complex maze under Beijing. As we walked he said, "The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty himself once guarded the Sword of Justice. When he rebuilt the Great Wall of China, he also created this maze that led to a chamber directly beneath the palace, which was inaccessible by any other means."

"And that's where the Sword of Justice is?" I asked.

"That's right. The beauty of this maze is that it's so hopelessly complex, the only way to know the right path is if you traveled it before."

"How exactly do you know that this is the right path?" I inquired.

He turned and winked. "Who do you think gave old Ming the idea in the first place? I know this maze like the back of my hand."

"You were around for the Ming Dynasty? Just how old are you?"

"About ten thousand years, give or take," he casually answered.

I don't know. If I never met Loki, I might not have believed in magic; I would've been bound by the rules of mortals about what is and isn't real, and that everything has a scientific explanation. Then, after the Nigel Garza thing, my beliefs changed again. Now I know for a fact that the impossible is simply improbable if you have either faith or magic. And when you have both magic and faith, the improbable can be accomplished as easily as a blink.

Which is why in response I simply said, "But I'll bet the bars still don't serve you."

"You'd better believe it." We walked for about another hour until we reached a set of huge doors. "These doors have a special lock. They can only be opened when you read the text off the two other swords."

I raised my eyebrow. "To open the door, we need the text written on the other swords?"

"Yes, as I just said."

"And those swords are hidden elsewhere in the world?"

"Correct."

"And they're behind doors exactly like this one?"

"On the nose."

I rubbed my temples. "So to reiterate, in order to open this door, we need swords hidden behind locked doors that can only be opened with the sword locked behind this door?"

"In a nutshell."

I smiled and nodded. "I see." Then I slapped Daisuke across the face. "STOP JERKING ME AROUND!"

Daisuke held his cheek and smiled. "Before you kill me, let me explain the plan. Shizuka-san, as a descendant of Sir Hermos, you have the inscription deeply hidden somewhere in that pretty little head of yours. And as the squire of Sir Critias, I've seen his blade enough times to know the inscription by heart."

Feeling a lot calmer, I took a deep breath and asked, "But how can I remember?"

Daisuke turned to the door and said, "'With this sword of Wisdom, I shall teach the ignorant the value of righteousness, and slay those who would still resist it.'"

As the door started to glow, something came to me; it was like seeing an old friend after five years of separation. I walked to the door, and with a loud clear voice I stated, "'With this Sword of Renewal, I shall take ashes of the vanquished and help build a better world.'" I guess Daisuke's words sparked something in me.

After a moment, the door vanished. And in that room, lying on a pedestal was the Sword of Justice. I walked over and examined it closely, without touching it. "I've never seen such craftsmanship. It's beautiful." Along with dueling, Loki also got me interested in swords.

"I had no idea you were a connoisseur of swords. …You want to hang onto it for me?"

"You really want me to carry this?"

"I see no harm in it. I don't like using two swords; in my opinion, anyone who needs two swords to beat someone doesn't deserve to win."

I grinned. "If that's how you feel, who am I to argue?" I picked up the sword and placed it in the green sheath that lay next to it. "Weird. I feel stronger just by holding it."

"Of course," said Daisuke. "That sword holds the will of Timaeus. He wants you to use that sword to help destroy the Orichalcos. But first, you must pass his test."

As if in response to his statement, a beam of light shot out of the sword and took shape. I was almost thought he was the pharaoh, but there were several differences. The spirit that stood before me was slightly taller and wearing green armor. Also, he had a scar over his right eye. I felt strange seeing the scar, since I wore my hair over the same eye.

"Are you Timaeus?" I asked.

"That's correct," he replied. The voice was also similar to the other Yugi's, except it was much lower-pitched. "If you consider yourself worthy of the Sword of Justice, then prove it by defeating me in a duel." As he spoke, a crest appeared on his arm, similar to the one Daisuke held.

"Ok," I said as I slipped Loki's deck into my Duel Disk. _"Great. I just got through losing to Daisuke, and now I have to fight against Yugi's ancestor. I'll probably be defeated very quickly."_ Out loud I said, "Let's get it on."

4000/4000

"I'll go first, if you don't mind. I summon Amazoness Swordswoman (1500/1600), and set one card facedown. Show me what you've got."

"Very well. I call forth the Blade Knight (1600/1000)!"

I frowned when I noticed something strange about his monster. "That monster is holding the Sword of Justice!"

"Precisely. Each monster I summon will automatically be equipped with my Sword of Justice."

"And what exactly does it do?"

"It gives my monster the power of any spell in my deck, and I choose Goblin Thief. I destroy your monster with Blade Knight!"

3500/4400

"What's this?" I asked. "What's with the lifepoint exchange?"

"The Sword of Justice held by Blade Knight activates Goblin Thief's effect whenever it's involved in battle. That means you lose 500 lifepoints, and I gain 500 lifepoints."

"Very clever. It's my move, and I summon Newdoria (1200/800). Then I strengthen it with Riryoku. Newdoria, destroy his monster!"

3000/3700

I growled. "I hate that stupid Goblin Thief. Alright, I end my turn."

"As you wish. I summon the Celtic Guardian (1400/1200)!" Surprise, it also held the Sword of Justice. "The Sword of Justice absorbs the power of Premature Burial. Now, it destroys your Newdoria!"

2800/3700

"You triggered the effect of my Newdoria," I said. "Now, it also takes out your monster as well." Celtic Guardian disappeared, but reappeared a second later.

2800/2900

"Because his Sword of Justice is enhanced with Premature Burial, I can bring him back by paying 800 lifepoints when he's destroyed," explained Timaeus.

"Curse you," I said. "Still, you haven't beaten me yet. My move! I summon Luster Dragon (1900/1600) and attack your monster!" Celtic Guardian was destroyed, but he came back.

2800/1600

"Suddenly your monster's effect becomes your weakness," I said. "If I destroy it one more time, you won't be able to revive it again."

"We'll see. I sacrifice my monster to summon Luminous Soldier (2100/1400). Then my monster comes back."

2800/800

"Next, I'll fuse the Sword of Justice in Luminous Soldier's hands with Soul of the Pure. Now, whenever it battles, I gain 800 lifepoints. I destroy your Luster Dragon!"

2600/1600

"Then, I attack directly with Celtic Guardian!"

I winked. "Showtime. I reveal my Sakuretsu Armor, which automatically destroys your attacking monster." Naturally, Celtic Guardian reappeared.

2600/800

Timaeus raised his eyebrow. "You waited until now to activate your facedown card?"

"That's right. Now, your monster is quite vulnerable to attack. And when I launch it, it'll leave a mark, not unlike the one on your face."

Timaeus instinctively reached for his scar. Then he lowered his hand and said, "Well done. Make your next move."

"I will. I summon Fusilier Dragon (2800/2000)! Since I didn't tribute to bring it out, its points are cut in half. But it hardly matters since I'm equipping it with Ax of Despair, giving it more than enough points to wipe you out. Destroy his Celtic Guardian with nitro breath!"

2600/0

"You did it!" Daisuke cheered.

"_I did? …What would Loki say in a case like this?"_ I turned and gave thumbs up with a wink. "Did you have any doubts?"

"Well done," said Timaeus. "I trust you'll take good care of the Sword of Justice." With that, he disappeared, leaving his crest behind him. A second later, it too faded away.

I hooked the sheathed blade on my belt and said, "Excellent. Now, let's get out of here."

**000000000  
Shizuka's eyes**

"How far away are the other swords?" I asked as we roamed the labyrinth corridors.

"Even I don't know the answer to that," Daisuke answered. "They could all be in China, or they could be halfway across the world. The only reason I knew where this sword was is because I've been here first."

"It seems strange that you knew to meet me here. How did you figure it out?"

"I didn't. Dark Magician Girl called me straight to the spot you found me. She gave me my instructions, telling me to stay put and wait for the chosen ones. I knew it was you because she told me you'd be wearing that compass."

I put his hand over my compass. "And the duel was for…?"

"No real reason," he admitted. "I just wanted to make sure that Dark Magician Girl didn't make a mistake in choosing you. No offense."

"None taken. Actually, I wondered the same thing." I looked at Loki's deck, which was still snug in my Duel Disk. "I really care for Loki, but as a duelist, I don't want to rely on him forever; I don't think either of us wants that." _"…Maybe _that's_ why I was chosen for this quest. Perhaps I'm meant to learn some self-reliance."_

Daisuke raised his eyebrow. "Shizuka, you're zoning out."

"Sorry. Let's get out of here." We finally emerged after an hour. Once we made it back to the plane, I used my Compass and atlases to find the next sword. "The next sword is in Stonehenge, England." I frowned. "No way."

Daisuke smiled and nodded. "Way."

"The secret of Stonehenge is that one of the swords is hidden there?"

"I imagine it's the Sword of Renewal, once wielded by Sir Hermos."

"My ancestor? It's going to be weird to meet a ten thousand year old relative."

"You have doubts that you can defeat Hermos?"

"I did at first," I admitted. "I didn't do so well against the apprentice of a legendary warrior, so you can understand if I wasn't sure I could beat an actual Legendary Warrior. I guess sometimes the older generations aren't so wise. No offense."

"None taken," he replied, showing a few teeth in his grin. "You should probably tell the pilot to take us to Stonehenge."

"Captain, our next stop is Stonehenge, England." Something about Daisuke's smile scared me. I felt better once we were in the air; if I didn't like Daisuke, I could ask Captain Lieder to push him out of the plane.

On the way, he sat me down and explained the full situation. "When the mysterious and mystical stone known as the Orichalcos rained down upon the ancient kingdom of Atlantis 10,000 years ago, its power of manipulation turned man into beast, and tainted the mind of the kingdom's ruler, Dartz. He wanted to let the Orichalcos God descend, destroy all of the corrupt humans, and create a new world. He was granted the power to carry out the task, letting him summon creatures that existed to gather souls in order to bring forth the great beast, known as the Great Leviathan."

"That's the creature I saw in the realm of monsters, isn't it?" I asked.

"It's the very same. To protect the world, Dartz's father and daughter called forth the legendary warriors. Then they opened a portal to the realm of monsters and the battle of Atlantis began. Neither side won. Atlantis sunk beneath the waves, the Leviathan lost its power and disappeared, and the path to the realm of monsters was sealed."

"And now Dartz wants to start the fun all over again, confident that the legendary warriors won't get in his way," I guessed.

"Indeed. He seeks to revive the Great Leviathan, through the power of human souls collected through the power of the Orichalcos, which he infused into Duel Monster cards to create the card known as the 'Seal of Orichalcos'. It unleashes the dark energy of the player who is playing it. The Orichalcos itself can control almost all of the duelist's physical functions as it affects the way duelists think of their friends and families. Because of its power, many duelists lose one way or another, including their own soul."

"How horrible!" I exclaimed. "Whoever plays the card, ultimately loses no matter how much they win."

He nodded in agreement. "Catch 22."

I stood up, taking a deep breath. "I must stop Dartz, before the world is destroyed."

Daisuke sighed. "So damn campy."

I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Normally, Loki's in charge of the speeches."

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

It wasn't quite bedtime, but I didn't care. My body was on Japan time, and it was 11:00 there, and I was sleepy. I pulled out a cot and collapsed on the bed.

In my dream, strangely enough, I was in Domino at midnight. I looked up and shivered. "The Leviathan!" I still only saw its eye in the sky, and several monsters were being drawn towards it.

Looking around, I saw Yugi and the others. I quickly ran over to them. "Guys!" I shouted. However, none of them noticed me. I guessed that they weren't dreaming along with me, and I was watching some sort of vision.

No…I was seeing what was actually happening at midnight in Domino!

Suddenly, an energy blast erupted from the Leviathan's eye. Téa, Joey, and Tristan ran for cover, but Yugi and Loki just stood there. Yugi's Duel Disk glowed, and he instinctively drew a card. He raised his card in the air and shouted, "I summon Timaeus!"

I watched, amazed as the real Timaeus appeared before him, albeit in his dragon form. The dragon countered the Leviathan's attack, sending a burst of flame right back. A second later, the eye shattered like glass. Then, Timaeus flew back into the card.

Loki staggered back in admiration. "That was incredible! I've never seen such power!"

The Dark Magician Girl appeared and said to them, and possibly to me as well, "You've only just begun. The great beast is still weak, so he retreated for the moment, but many monsters remain imprisoned on the other side. It will return again and his power will grow. He must be stopped before he is fully restored!" And then she vanished in a sparkle of pink light.

I looked at the faces of Loki and Yugi, and I could tell we all had a mutual understanding of what this meant.

Time was running out.

**End Chapter**


	3. The Fullmetal…Duelist?

**Loki's Eyes**

We watched the news on Yugi's laptop the next morning, and discovered the strange illuminations in the sky were happening all over the world.

"So, it _wasn't_ a dream," mumbled Téa.

Joey picked up the Eye of Timaeus card and said, "Right, because we still have the card that came from the monster world."

Tristan snatched the card from Joey and examined it. "I don't get how a Duel Monsters card was able to do all that."

Joey quickly took it back. "A real duelist can tell the card is special and must be handled with care!"

"Would you be careful with that?" I snapped as I took the card and handed it back to Yugi. "There's no telling what else the card can do. It has the spirit of a dragon within, and although it protected us, it could be dangerous." Yugi nodded in agreement.

"In any case, we obviously need to do something," said Téa.

"Yeah, but what?" asked Joey.

"Well," remarked Tristan, "we could start with the monster sightings, or the giant eye that tried to blast us, or that motorcycle gang that goes around stealing people's souls…"

"Aw, man! I just don't get it!" Joey took the card back. "Maybe there's some kind of clue in the card, like a special light or something."

Tristan smacked Joey. "What happened to 'treat the card with care'?"

They gripped each other up, but I quickly pushed them apart. "Will you stop it? Fighting is counterproductive." About that point, Grandpa came in with a package. "What is it?"

"Apparently, it's from America."

"You think it's from Duke?" asked Téa.

Yugi examined it for a bit. "…The return address is Industrial Illusions."

"WHAT?" everybody screamed.

As Grandpa walked off, Yugi opened up the parcel. Inside was a tape, as well as a promotional Duel Monsters card. "Industrial Illusions is Pegasus's company," noted Tristan, sounding concerned.

I raised my eyebrow. "What's the problem? He didn't seem like such a bad guy when I met him. Maybe he was a little eccentric, but-"

"The problem," said Joey, picking up the tape, "is the videotape. It's just like Duelist kingdom. He used it to face Yugi in a Shadow Game, and he ended up taking Grandpa's soul."

"That sucks."

"I think we should just tape over this with Saturday morning cartoons."

"I dunno," said Téa. "I mean, Pegasus doesn't have the Millennium Eye anymore, right?"

"That's right," confirmed Tristan. "Somebody stole it." That took me right back to that night, just before I faced Kuhates.

**000000000 **

_He turned to face me, with a sinister grin. Around his neck was the Millennium Ring. "Ah, you. I thought I sensed you somewhere."_

_"How did you get the Millennium Ring back again?"_

_"When will you mortals learn? If someone is destined to hold a Millennium Item, they'll inevitably get it back if they lose it." He pulled a small golden sphere out of his pocket. "As you can see, Pegasus was unworthy of wielding the Millennium Eye."_

**000000000**_  
_

I decided there was already enough to worry about without talking about the spirit of the Millennium Ring, so I decided to keep it to myself.

In the middle of my zoning out, Yugi slipped the video into the VCR and hit the play. "Yugi!" said Pegasus. "It's been a while!" Turning more serious he said, "As you know, I created Duel Monsters, and now they're causing panic around the world. I've done some research, and I discovered something. I must talk to you, but I can't leave, because someone is watching me." Sounding desperate he exclaimed, "Mailing this tape is a risk, but if you receive it, you must bring this card to America! I'll send a plane for you, and await your arrival!" Then the tape ended.

"Yugi?" asked Joey. "What's going on?"

Yugi stood up and said, "You heard him. I'm going to America."

I smirked. "All by yourself? I think not, Yugi-kun."

"That's right!" said Joey. "I'll be right there by your side!"

"We'll come too!" agreed Téa and Tristan.

Yugi smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"Besides," added Joey, "we get to go to America for free!"

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

I think it was about 10:00 in Japan when we arrived in Amesbury. I was sleepy and the sun was shining, which was a first for me. We had difficulty taking a cab to Stonehenge, possibly due to the sword on my waist. Eventually, we just decided to walk.

"Do you think we can rent a hotel room?" I asked with a yawn.

"Yes, right after we get the Sword of Renewal."

"Why aren't _you_ tired?" I demanded.

"Didn't I make myself clear before? I'm a spirit, meaning the only time I rest is when I depart for the afterlife."

"So you're not even remotely sleepy?"

"Nope."

"Curse you." He then stopped walking and put his arm out in front of me to block my path. "What?" I looked ahead and saw Stonehenge about a hundred yards away. The Sword of Justice started to glow, as if reacting to something. "What is it?"

"Orichalcos," he whispered. "I sense its taint in the circle of stone. Someone is there, waiting for us."

I smiled a little. "Dartz got wind of our plan, somehow. Whoever's waiting at Stonehenge is going to wish he hadn't." Getting my strength back, I broke into a run. When I arrived, there was only a lone figure. The boy standing there had a red overcoat, white gloves, a black suit, and a blonde ponytail. He was perhaps an inch or two shorter than me. He seemed harmless enough, but I had the feeling he wasn't. "I don't suppose you're a tourist?" I asked, knowing the answer.

He turned to look at me, with a holier-than-thou smirk. "You're after the Sword of Renewal. You can't fool me, Shizuka Wheeler."

"You have me at a disadvantage," I dryly stated. "Would you mind telling me who _you_ are?"

"I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. I come from another world. Do I sound crazy to you?"

I shrugged. "Well, we're _all_ a little crazy." I put my hands in my pockets and we slowly circled each other. "You're an alchemist, huh? What do you hope to achieve by siding with Dartz?"

"What do you know about the alchemy and the Philosopher's Stone?"

I had a feeling it was a rhetorical question, but I answered anyway. "Alchemy's the science of breaking things down to their base elements, and rearranging them through the process of transmutation. The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance that enhances alchemic knowledge, letting the user supposedly could turn lead into gold or create an elixir that would make humans younger. It's something I learned in science class."

"Very good. I know how to create a Philosopher's Stone, but…the problem is that to create it, I need human souls in large numbers. _Very_ large numbers."

I quickly caught on. "When the Seal of Orichalcos claims a soul, it gets fed to the Leviathan. With so many souls in one being like that…"

"I'll use the Leviathan to make a Philosopher's Stone," he finished. "I'd rather not make a Philosopher's Stone if it means I have to sacrifice people in large numbers, but I don't need to since Dartz's goons will be doing it for me. Once Dartz uses it to destroy everyone in this world, he'll allow me to transmute it into a Philosopher's Stone and send me home, as a reward."

"But isn't it your duty as a human to join with me to save the world, rather than help someone who intends to wipe out all humans on it?"

"All humans on _your_ world," Edward corrected. "Dartz also promised to leave _my_ world alone if I help him. The people I care about are safe until I create the Philosopher's Stone. And by that point, it won't matter what he thinks because I'll have the ultimate weapon, and he won't be able to stand against me if he tries anything."

"True, but you don't have the ultimate weapon now. _I _can stand against you, and I will unless you get out of my way."

He knelt on the ground, taking a green stone out of his pocket and placing it on the dirt in front of him. Then he clapped his hands and placed them flat on the ground. A blinding flash forced my eyes shut. When it faded, a weird green Duel Disk like the one Gurimo wore lay in front of him, which he equipped to his arm, placing a deck inside. _"Alchemy,"_ I thought to myself.

"I guess it means we can't be friends," he said as he activated the Duel Disk.

"It certainly seems that way," I replied as I activated mine. "Well, it was nice knowing you."

"Let's duel!" he declared.

4000/4000

"I'll start first," he said. "I'll set two cards facedown and activate Doriado's Blessing, tributing a level three monster to summon Elemental Mistress Doriado (1200/1400). Now, let's see what you've got."

"As you wish. I draw-"

"And I trigger my trap, Macro Cosmos! From now on, any cards sent to the graveyard are removed from the game. Plus, it lets me summon Helios, the Primordial Sun (?/?), whose attack and defense points are equal to the amount of monsters removed from the game, times 100. It's perfect for an alchemist, wouldn't you say?"

I raised my eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"You know the basics of alchemy. In my world, the underlying principle for alchemy can be summed up in two words: equivalent exchange. In other words, if you want to obtain, something of equal or greater value must be lost."

"It sounds like a fancy way of saying you reap what you sew," I noted. "It seems a little early to break out that monster, as I count zero monsters removed from the game; therefore, it has zero attack points. I summon Mataza the Zapper (1300/800), and attack your monster!"

Edward snapped his fingers. "Can't let you do that. I activate Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan, which lets me wipe out your monster!"

"Wait, that's not how the card works!" I protested. "You can't activate it unless you have monsters of fire, water, wind, and earth on your field. And you only have two light monsters."

"Good point. But as long as Doriado is on my field, all four of those elements are actively on the field." I couldn't do a lot but watch as a bolt of lightning wiped out my monster.

"In that case, I'll place a card facedown and end my turn." _"Drat. I'll admit my confidence could use a little mouth-to-mouth."_

Edward smirked. "Come on! This can't be the best dueling action on this world."

"My teacher taught me something: if you celebrate simply for winning one turn, you're destined to lose the entire duel," I warned.

"Want to talk lessons? Since Macro Cosmos removes all cards sent to the graveyard from play, my Helios has 100 attack points."

"That's no threat to me."

"But it will be, once I sacrifice it to summon Helios Duo Megistus (?/?)! Like my last Helios, its power is equal to the amount of monsters removed from the game, except by 200. My new creature has 400 attack points. Now, I attack directly with both my monsters!"

"I discard Kuriboh from my hand, reducing the damage from Doriado to zero."

3600/4000

Edward snorted. "Damn. Still, you only helped me out; since Macro Cosmos removes your monster from the game, it increases my monster's attack to 600. Now, make your next move."

As I drew, Daisuke arrived. "Hey! Daisuke, this is Edward Elric. Now that introductions are over, I summon Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000) and destroy Helios Duo Megistus!"

3600/2600

Edward was pushed back, surprised by the strength of my cards. "You're a real heavy-hitter, huh? That's fine with me, because I can smack you right back."

"Those are big words from such a small boy."

Edward's eye twitched. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN INSIGNIFICANT SPECK OF ANT FOOD!?"

"_This guy has a massive inferiority complex."_ I said, "Touched a sensitive spot, have I? I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"Ok, no more Mr. Nice-guy!" he spat as he drew. I had a Mr. Nice-gnome comment lined up, but decided against using it; a very un-Loki-like thing to do. "I use Soul Absorption, which gives me 500 lifepoints each time a card is removed from the game. Then I activate Card of Sanctity, requiring us to draw until we have six cards in our hand. Next, I play Monster Reborn!"

I raised my eyebrow. "Hang on. Hasn't Macro Cosmos removed every monster sent to our graveyards?

"Let me refresh your memory. Before I activated Macro Cosmos, I used the Doriado's Blessing ritual, which required me to sacrifice a monster in my hand. And that's what I'm bringing back! So, say hello to Homunculus, the Alchemic Being (1800/1600)!"

I chuckled. "Equivalent exchange, huh? What exactly did you give up to bring that monster back?"

"Smartass," he growled. "By the way, in case you've forgotten, I've played two cards this turn, meaning I've regained 1000 lifepoints thanks to Soul Absorption."

3600/3600

"Then I play Soul Release, removing all cards in my graveyard from the game."

3600/4600

"This is what alchemy's all about," declared Edward. "My teacher taught me something. 'When you live, you eventually die. The body will return to the earth. Grass and flowers will grow on top of it. The soul nourishes the hearts, and will live on in the hearts of other people. Everything in this world flows around and circulates. That goes for human lives too.' Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I get it," I answered. "It's the circle of life. That's why I combat the Leviathan; it disrupts the natural flow by absorbing souls, so that they can never be reborn."

He flinched when I said that. I guess he didn't like being beaten by his own logic. "…Shut up."

I closed my eyes. "Listen, Edward. I respect you and your power, so I have a request: if you pick up the Seal of Orichalcos, just toss it away and draw a new card. We're having a fun duel, and there's no need to spoil it by anteing our souls."

He picked a card out of his hand, and showed it to me. "You mean this one?" I could sense a lot of dark energies coming out of that card, which was unusual in and of itself. "I respect your power too, Shizuka, but I need the Philosopher's Stone. I'm going to get that stone one way or another, and I can't let anything stop me."

"Edward, don't!" I snapped. "It's not worth it!"

"Our fate is sealed; I have no choice." He opened the field spell slot on his Duel Disk. "It's time to raise the stakes. I play-"

"Big brother!" We all turned to the sound of the voice, which came from just behind Edward. There were two figures standing there, looking very out of breath. One was a girl with blond hair and very light skin. The other was a big fellow, wearing a heavy-looking suit of armor that completely covered him.

"Al? Winry?" asked Edward. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" snapped Winry. "We wanted to stop you from playing that cursed card! You know how dangerous it is!"

"I didn't have a choice! Al and I have been searching for the Philosopher's Stone for years! Without it, how can we become normal again?"

"I want to become normal, brother," said Al, "but not like this! Not by hurting people! And we both know that you don't want to either."

Ed hung his head, ashamed. "…I know. You're right. I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's the nature of the Orichalcos," said Daisuke. "It taints people."

Ed gazed into the Orichalcos for a brief second. With a smirk, he tossed it to the ground. "Alright. Shizuka, I'll take you up on your offer." I smiled, relieved. I was glad I didn't have to kill anyone, and besides…something about him seemed so familiar. Drawing a new card he said, "Orichalcos or not, you're in for trouble. I sacrifice my monster to summon Golden Homunculus (1500/1500)! It gains 300 attack and defense points for each of my monsters removed from the game."

"_2700 attack points,"_ I thought to myself. _"And as long as Macro Cosmos is on the field, it'll gain more power each time he destroys something. Plus, since he just lost another monster, he gains another 500 lifepoints."_

3600/5100

"Golden Homunculus, destroy his monkey!"

"Hold that thought. I activate Spirit Barrier and Astral Barrier! Now, all your attacks are useless."

"You're just stalling. You can't simply hide behind your shields forever; I have more cards in my deck than you, so you're going to run out of cards sooner."

"In that case, I suppose I'd better destroy you quickly," I replied as I drew. "I play the ritual, End of the World; I tribute my Berserk Gorilla, along with my Fusilier Dragon, to bring forth Demise, King of Armageddon (2400/2000)! And while your monster may be stronger, I can use my monster's effect, paying 2000 lifepoints to wipe out every other card on the field!"

1600/7100

"So you got rid of my Golden Homunculus," snapped Edward. "I still regain lifepoints thanks to Soul Absorption, since you removed several cards from the game just now!"

1600/8600

"Enjoy your lifepoints while you still have them," I said. "I promise, you won't keep them for long. Don't forget that I've just destroyed Soul Absorption, so you can no longer regain lifepoints whenever cards are removed from the game. Not that it matters since Macro Cosmos is also gone, meaning you can't remove any more cards from the game."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that I can now activate Miracle Dig, letting me return up to three monsters removed from the game to my graveyard. And I play Premature Burial, paying 800 lifepoints to special summon one of those monsters. Come forth, Fusilier Dragon (2800/2000)!"

800/8400

"And it gets worse. I activate the Megamorph spell, equipping it to my Fusilier Dragon. Because my lifepoints are lower than yours, my monster's attack points are doubled. Plus, I'll equip my Demise with Axe of Despair, giving him 1000 more points! Fusilier Dragon, attack with nitro breath!"

800/2800

Edward was pushed back by the awesome force of the shockwave. "Incredible! That took away 5600 lifepoints!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, because it only goes downhill from here. Demise, annihilate!" My monster raised its gruesome scythe above his head and slashed Edward, knocking him to the ground.

800/0

"Ow," was his only response. Once Al helped him up he added, "Good game. Shizuka…thanks for saving me. If you guys hadn't talked me out of playing that card, I would've been killed by your last attack."

"You can thank my Master," I modestly answered. "He taught me what the Duelist Spirit is: pride, ambition, and respect. Basically, it's pride in your skills, ambition to improve those skills, and respect for the opponent."

"You're too modest for your own good," muttered Daisuke. "Perhaps you should find a little more pride."

"_That's what Loki would say,"_ I thought. With a yawn I said, "Maybe we should find a hotel for the night."

"What, already? You humans are lazy."

"Hey! You may not need sleep, but these time zone changes are really confusing for me." Getting right in his face I snarled, "I HAVE JETLAG!" with enough ferocity to cause him to stumble back.

"Uh…let's go find a hotel, shall we?" he meekly suggested as he climbed to his feet.

As he started down the hill, I heard Ed tease him by making a whipping sound. I glared at him. "Excuse me?"

Ed defensively raised his hands in front of his face. "…Achoo. Achoo. It's my allergies," he timidly lied.

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

"So, who exactly are you guys?" I asked as we settled in our room. "There's alchemy in this world, but I've never seen it used like you."

"It's kinda hard to answer that," replied Ed with a shrug. "Like I said, we're from another world."

"You mean like aliens?"

"Not really. We come from a parallel dimension. A man named Dartz brought us here; actually, he brought _me_ here, and these two got lost trying to follow me through the portal. I'm not sure how he knew I used to duel, or even how he found me, but I figured if he knew how to make a Philosopher's Stone, it was worth following him."

"But how did he know where I was, or even _who_ I was?"

Ed simply shrugged. "He said he had a valuable tip, but left it at that."

"What _I_ want to know," Daisuke said, "is why you'd risk your life for the Philosopher's Stone."

"…Everything in this world flows around and circulates. That goes for human lives too.' That means if you try to bring someone back to life, it'll end in pain and suffering. And that only applies if you're lucky. …I guess in a sense, Al and I was lucky."

My eyes widened. "What happened to you?"

"Mother," answered Al. "We missed her so much. We thought we could bring her back with alchemy: a human transmutation."

"It's a forbidden practice, and here's why," growled Ed. He removed his right glove and pulled his sleeve back. To my shock, it was completely mechanical. He also removed his left shoe, revealing a mechanical leg. "I hope you learned a lesson, Shizuka Wheeler. I lost the leg in the transmutation. And Al…well, I'll let him show you."

I let out a gasp as Al opened his breastplate and helmet…and revealed empty space. "You're empty inside?"

Ed nodded. "His body was completely destroyed. He nearly lost his soul too, but I managed to save it by sacrificing my arm; if you call being trapped in a suit of armor being saved."

I was only vaguely aware of the tears that fell from my face. "That's what the Philosopher's Stone is for? You want to become completely normal again?"

"Please, don't cry," said Al as he reattached his helmet. "That's old pain. We'll find it someday."

Wiping my face I said, "But not at the expense of others. That's the mark of a true hero. Edward…you're so much like Loki-Sensei."

Ed looked up in surprise. "You mean…Loki Admin?"

"What's this?" demanded Daisuke. "How do you know of him?"

"Dartz told me that due to the natural of alternate dimensions, all people here are counterparts of all people in my world; specifically, that Loki is this world's version of me."

"Except he makes up in skill what you lack in height." Luckily for Daisuke, Al restrained Ed before he could attack. "Feeling a little inferior, are we?"

Suddenly, my cell phone rang. "What's that?" asked Winry.

Operating under the assumption that his world's technology wasn't as advanced as in this world I answered, "It's a cell phone. It's like a regular phone, except it doesn't need any wires." I pulled it out of my pocket and answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Shizuka!" I heard Joey say. I love the range of my cell phone. "You wouldn't believe what happened last night."

"I'll take a guess; you were attacked by a giant reptilian eye, but Yugi summoned a monster for real and stopped it?"

"…HOW THE HECK DID YOU KNOW THAT!?" he shrieked.

"I had a dream about it last night." Well, it wasn't a lie. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Pegasus invited Yugi and us to his office in California, so we'll be leaving Japan for a while. Don't catch a cold!"

"I won't. Bye, Joey." The strangest thing was that almost immediately after I hung up, I received another phone call.

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

"Hello?" answered Shizuka.

"It's me," I greeted. "I just called to tell you that something's come up, and I'm going to have to leave the country for a while with Yugi and the others."

"To go to California, right?" she asked.

I frowned. "How did you know that?"

"Joey already told me. It's ok; I'm not in Japan either."

"What? Where are you?"

"England."

"ENGLAND!?" I shrieked. "What the hell are you doing over there!?"

"It's a part of my quest," she answered. "I can't give you specifics, though; basically, there's a blank card you're going to need, and I'm going to make it useful."

"I…I see," I answered. "I trust you."

"By the way, I met somebody interesting. He's an alchemist I saved from the Orichalcos, called Edward Elric. Shall I put him on?"

"Sure," I answered, having no idea what she was talking about.

"Hello?" asked the new speaker. Suddenly, I felt the world contort around me, and I developed a splitting headache that made me drop the phone. "Ack! What the hell?"

That's when I realized what Shizuka was talking about. "Are you from another dimension, Elric?" I demanded.

"Y-yeah!" he answered, seemingly in the same pain I was.

"That's it! You must be my counterpart. If two parallel beings meet, this vertigo happens to us! If you can stay on the line until the world stops spinning, the paradox should cease." After a minute, the feeling left. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he answered. "That's not going to happen every time we talk, will it?"

"It shouldn't. Now that we're used to each other's presence, we should be fine in future meetings." _"But, damn! Just what kind of people is Shizuka hanging with?"_ "Anyway, listen up, Edward. Shizuka is extremely important to me, so I'm counting on you to protect her, savvy?"

"Ok."

"Good answer. Now, return the phone to Shizuka." I knew when it returned to her hot little hand, because I could feel her presence. "I don't trust your company. That Elric guy may be my counterpart, but he could be an evil version of me."

"You know, Loki, this reminds me of something a wise man once told me," said Shizuka.

I raised my eyebrow. "What's that?"

"'I have faith in you, and everything I taught you. That means it's my responsibility to stand back and trust that if you get into trouble, you'll come out all right.' Do you know who said that?"

I could almost see her standing above me with a triumphant sneer. "I'm the one who said that," I admitted.

"That's right. So even if it _is_ a mistake, stand back and let me make it."

"…Alright, you win."

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

"Don't push your luck," I snarled. "Making a mistake is an important part of growing up, but don't make it a mistake that ends up finishing you." Then I hung up and returned to my packing. I tried to put on a happy face, but I simply couldn't manage.

I hurried over to the refrigerator and pulled out a case of whiskey that Lynch gave me as a joke. It had a note that told me not to drink it before I was old enough. I ignored the note, opened one of the bottles, and took a sip.

Now, why did I do such a reckless thing? It was one thing when I thought Shizuka was simply conducting her quest all over Japan, but I never expected her to be halfway across the world. The instant it sunk in, I felt a horrible loneliness; it was like the most important part of me suddenly vanished without a trace. I knew I had to trust her, but it didn't help to ease the pain.

I think it was about three seconds after the whiskey touched my tongue that I realized I did something incredibly stupid. I quickly spit out what little I had in my mouth – as if I was strong enough to swallow it – and dumped the rest of the bottle down the sink. _"What the hell was I doing? Drinking won't erase the problem, and it certainly won't help Yugi. Strong as he is, he'll need my help, and I need to be at the top of my game."_

I knelt by my futon and put my hands together in prayer, which was unusual since I was never a praying man. _"Please heed my prayer and watch over Shizuka. Please escort her safely to my arms. I…I don't know how I could go on if anything happens to her. …Amen."_

**End Chapter**

It's kinda hard to think of Edward and Loki being two peas in the same pod, isn't it? Especially when you stand the two of them together. R&R!


	4. Beware the Sadistic Tantric!

**Loki's Eyes**

It was a miracle that I managed to get to sleep that night. The next morning, I took my duffel bag – yeah, that's all I packed, 'cause I'm low maintenance – and headed over to the Airport in a limo with the others. We parked right on the terminal, about thirty feet away from the Industrial Illusion business jet. The one I lent Shizuka was probably only a third in size.

"That's a cool jet!" exclaimed Tristan.

Joey nodded in agreement. "Rich people like Pegasus and Kaiba are generous."

"Kaiba's in the US too, right?" asked Téa.

"Yes," answered Yugi. "But the Duel Monsters are appearing everywhere in the world, and Kaiba's totally exhausted."

Joey shrugged. "He deserves it."

"I don't think so," I said. "There's no denying he's a jerk, but that doesn't mean he needs to have his company's reputation ruined. I looked at the stock report this morning, and I discovered that a guy called Ohhira is quickly buying up Kaiba Corp shares this morning. He nearly owns as much as Mokuba."

"Really? …You think someone's out to get Kaiba?"

"Probably. His company made enemies long before Kaiba took over, and I'm sure his sunny disposition hasn't helped a lot."

That was when three men in suits walked up to us. "Is one of you Yugi Moto?"

"I am," said Yugi.

"Please, walk this way." As he led us to the jet he ordered, "You two bring the luggage."

We entered, and were all blown away by the luxury. "Wow, I feel like a rock star!" Téa sighed contently.

Tristan rubbed his hands together. "I bet they serve great food too."

I scoffed. "Such extravagance dulls the senses. Even when I become the King of Games, I certainly won't buy such a ridiculously expensive thing just for travel." I'm going to be very honest right now; I was extremely envious of Pegasus. I barely felt it when the plane took off, which is more than can be said for the Selkirk Rex jet. The food that was served on our flight was delicious, while my jet had no room for a hostess. And I'll be damned if I didn't rest well in the comfy seat on the way over.

Anyway, once we landed the next day, there was another limo waiting for us outside the gate. While the suits packed our luggage into the suitcase, Téa pointed to a large bag and said, "I've never seen that one before."

"Me neither," I said. The others didn't recognize it either. "Maybe it got mixed in with ours."

"I'll take it to the Lost and Found," said one of the suits as he dragged the bag away.

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

"So in order to stop Dartz, this Pharaoh guy needs the Legend of Heart card?" asked Ed. For the past few minutes, Dartz had been bringing our new friends up to speed as we walked back to Stonehenge.

"That's right," said Daisuke. "And for that card to be of any use, the three sacred swords are absolutely essential." Suddenly, Daisuke held his hand in front of me. "Orichalcos."

"Again?" I asked.

"I guess this new person wants to finish the job that Ed refused to finish."

Ed pulled off his right glove and transformed his metal hand into a katar. "I can handle whoever it is."

"It's ok," I said. "I'm going to have to face one of these Orichalcos guys eventually. If I'm not ready for them now, then I never will be."

"Then be careful," warned Winry. "You know what'll happen if you lose."

"Yeah." With that, we ran in the circle of stone.

When we arrived, a beam of light shot from the sky and touched the ground in front of us. The light faded, and there stood an odd-looking man. He had wide red eyes that lacked pupils. He had straight, neck-length black hair, flowing freely. He looked like he was dressed like a vampire. "Hello," he casually said.

"An Orichalcos duelist," I stated as I saw his Duel Disk.

"Yes, and so much more. My name is Rayth, and I've been a denizen of the Shadow Realm for over a hundred years!"

"I don't believe you," I replied. "I heard it's impossible for someone to escape without help."

"Well, I _did_ have some assistance. Dartz rescued me from that terrible abyss. All I have to do to repay him is to disrupt your quest to form the Legend of Heart card. We can't have you stopping the great Leviathan, can we?"

"But that thing will destroy all humans in this world!" protested Al.

Rayth smiled. "Who said I was human?" To illustrate his point, he began to levitate. "I'm a divine being, safe from the destructive tendencies of the Leviathan."

"But you're not safe from me," I shot back, activating my Duel Disk, loaded with Loki's deck. "When I'm through with you, you'll wish you remained in the shadows."

"Doubtful," he said as he activated his Duel Disk. "It's my belief that death is preferable to the Shadow Realm. Well then…let's go!"

4000/4000

"I'll start things off by playing the Seal of Orichalcos!" As a green aura surrounded Rayth, the seal appeared to trap him and Loki within its barrier. The aura faded to the naked eye, and the seal also appeared on his forehead. "I wonder if having your soul taken is worse than the Shadow Realm. With luck, _you'll _be the one who tells _me_."

"Shizuka!" cried Al as he pounded on the invisible barrier around the seal's edge.

"Don't worry," I assured him. "You won't lose any friends to the Shadow Realm."

"I doubt you'll have a lot of choice in the matter," said Rayth. "For now, I play Sonic Bird (1400/1000)! Even with the 500 attack point boost from the Orichalcos, it's not a very powerful creature. But its special effect lets me put a ritual spell in my hand. I choose Curse of the Masked Beast, which I activate now! Now, I'll tribute my Sonic Bird and a second level four monster from my hand to Special Summon the Masked Beast (3200/1800)! And with the Seal, it has 3700 attack points!"

"Strength isn't everything!" I argued. "I draw, and I summon Injection Fairy Lily (400/1500)! Next, I play Riryoku, draining your monster's strength by half and adding it to my monster for one turn. Blood drawing attack!"

4000/3600

"Then I'll set two cards facedown. Make your move."

Rayth growled. "Yes, I know the deck of Loki Admin well, with its stupid reversals of fortune; I hate you so much."

"Aw, I hate you too," I teased. "But if I'm really getting to you, you could just surrender."

"I can't surrender; not when I'm about to bring on the pain! Now, I play Fulfillment of the Contract, paying 800 lifepoints to bring my Masked Beast back from the graveyard."

4000/2800

"Then, I play Contract with the Dark Master, sacrificing my beast to summon Dark Master Zorc (2700/1500)! Of course, he's further strengthened by the Seal of Orichalcos. Now, I use my monster's special effect!" As he spoke, a six-sided die appeared on the field. "Each of my turns, I get to roll the die. If the result is 1 or 2, I get to destroy all monsters on your field. If it's 3, 4, or 5, I can destroy one monster on your field. But if it's a 6, all monsters on my field are destroyed."

"A game of chance? You realize you might lose the game on your next turn if you roll incorrectly, right?"

"Yes, but the odds are greatly against you." Zorc picked up the die and threw it my way. It landed at my feet as a 2, blowing up in my face, taking my monster with it. The blast threw me back, making me hit the invisible wall very hard. I fell to my knees from the impact.

"Shizuka!" yelled Ed.

"If you think that was painful, here comes some more! Zorc, attack her directly!"

"No." I activated a facedown card. "The Draining Shield trap negates your attack and increases my lifepoints by your monster's attack points."

7200/2800

"ARGH!" he roared. "Stop delaying the inevitable! My powers are much greater than yours!"

As I climbed to my feet I said, "Your powers are nothing against Loki's."

"That's a false statement. Besides, I'm not fighting him, am I? I'm fighting his pathetic disciple." He pointed accusing finger at me. "You're just a stupid little girl playing hero by piggybacking off his success."

Normally I wouldn't argue against his statement, but I remembered something Loki told me. "No, I'm not," I replied. "I'm a Duelist, trained by one of the strongest in the world. And one day, I'll become stronger than him."

"You say that as if you'll survive this duel," said Rayth, "I end my turn."

"Good. As you're about to see, I can play with rituals myself. First, I play Graceful Charity, letting me draw three and discard two. Then I use my facedown Call of the Haunted to bring back the Fusilier Dragon (2800/2000) I discarded. Then I'll use End of the World, tributing my monster and Tsukuyomi to bring out Demise, King of Armageddon (2400/2000)!"

"So what? Your monster pales in comparison to mine, and you don't have any more cards to boost your monster's strength!"

"I don't need any, because my monster has a special ability. Now, I sacrifice 2000 lifepoints to destroy everything on the field except for my monster!"

5200/2800

Sadly, when the smoke cleared, the Seal of Orichalcos still remained on the field. Of course, I already knew that my effects wouldn't work against it. "I attack you directly!" Rayth grunted angrily as he was struck by my monster.

5200/400

"I have more lifepoints. Nyah, nyah, nyah!" I teased, sticking out my tongue.

"Yeah, _that's_ real mature," Daisuke muttered, rolling his eyes.

"This…is…IT!" snapped Rayth. "I was being nice up to this point, but now I'm pissed off! I play Card of Sanctity! Next, I summon Senju of the Thousand Hands (1400/1000), which lets me add a ritual monster to my hand. Then I play Final Ritual of the Ancients, sacrificing my monster and another in my hand to summon Reshef the Dark Being (2500/1500)! Next, I use my monster's special effect, letting me discard a spell to take control of your monster for one turn. Then, I play End of the World!"

"What?" I asked. "But you already have Demise, King of Armageddon on the field."

"True, but that's not the only thing this ritual can summon. Now, I sacrifice your monster to summon Ruin, Queen of Oblivion (2300/2000)!"

"Ugh…I've heard of that card, but I've never actually seen it. It looks dangerous."

"And it is. Reshef, attack directly!"

"I think not. I discard Kuriboh to nullify the damage."

"I attack with Ruin, Queen of Oblivion! Ax of judgment!"

2400/400

"You won't survive the next turn. I have another spell in my hand, which means I can use Reshef to take control of any monster you defend yourself with. Maybe it's _your _turn to surrender now." I smiled. "Huh? What are you so happy about?"

"I'm happy because you're about to find out the answer to your question, 'is having your soul taken worse than the Shadow Realm' very soon."

"And how do you intend to do that?"

"I plan to do it with my next attack. I summon Amazoness Swordswoman (1500/1600) in attack mode! Her special effect gives you the battle damage I'd take from her battles. Amazoness Swordswoman, attack his Reshef and wipe out his lifepoints!" Of course, my monster was destroyed. But the damage inflicted by her effect was enough to finish him off.

1100/0

"And now, you have to pay the price for using the Seal of Orichalcos." The seal started to shrink, passing through me as it went, until it only trapped Rayth.

"No, NO!" Charging up an orb of dark energy, Rayth created several dark beams that struck the invisible barrier, pushing it back. "I will not be bound so easily!" With one final burst of effort, his energy pierced the barrier of the Seal, destroying it! Rayth fell to his knees, breathing heavily. "I…I don't have enough energy to do that a second time…so I'll have to win my next Orichalcos duel."

"Don't be an idiot!" snapped Winry. "Shizuka already proved she can beat you. If you face her again, you'll lose!"

Rayth chuckled. "All she proved is that she can be lucky. In any case, my next target isn't any of you. No…I figure if I cut off the head, the rest will fall."

I quickly realized what he was talking about. "Don't touch him!" I demanded.

"I see no reason why I shouldn't. Don't worry; he'll only suffer briefly. And then I'll come back for you." Before I could stop him, he disappeared.

"_What can I do?"_ I wondered. _"This is Nesbitt and Tristan all over again! It's my fault!"_

"Calm yourself," instructed Daisuke. "The best way to help your master is to complete your quest."

I nodded, realizing he was right. I put Loki's deck away and pulled out my own; I knew he'd want me to pave my way with my own power. My deck was different from the one that Daisuke destroyed. Once I loaded it into my Duel Disk, I drew the Sword of Justice and read the inscription on the blade. "'With this Sword of Justice, I shall make sure everyone gets what they deserve in the end.'"

Daisuke nodded. "'With this Sword of Wisdom, I shall teach the ignorant the value of righteousness, and slay those who would still resist it.'"

The stone pillars glowed, and a sword with a red sheath appeared in the center. "That's freaky," said Ed.

"The Sword of Renewal," I whispered. Putting the Sword of Justice away, I walked over to the sword, grasping the hilt. As before, the sword started to glow, and a beam shot out that eventually became a knight in red armor that resembled Joey. "Hermos…"

Hermos nodded. "The Sword of Renewal is meant to create, but it can just as easily destroy," he said in a voice that was like Joey's but deeper. "You, who wish to wield my sword, prove yourself worthy by defeating me in a duel." The crest appeared on his arm.

"Let's do it! It's time to duel!"

4000/4000

"Ladies first. I set a monster and place one card facedown. Your turn."

"Very well. I summon Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1600)." As you've probably guessed, all of his monsters had the Sword of Renewal equipped. "The power of my Sword of Renewal gives my monsters the effect of any monster in my deck. I give my monster's blade the power of Airknight Parshath." So you needn't look at the card for reference, it means it pierces defense and lets the user draw a card if it hurts the opponent's lifepoints. "I attack your defensive monster!"

"Not so fast!" I said. "I use Nightmare Wheel, which prevents your monster from attacking as long as it's on the field, with the bonus of taking away 500 of your lifepoints during my turn."

"Very well. I end my turn."

4000/3500

"Now, I switch my UFO Turtle (1400/1200) to attack mode, and I use it to attack your monster!"

3700/3500

"My UFO Turtle lets me bring out a fire monster from my deck when it's destroyed in battle. And I choose Solar Flare Dragon (1500/1000)! Its special effect prevents you from attacking it if there's another pyro-type monster on my field. Plus, it makes you lose 500 lifepoints when I end my turn. Now, I summon another Solar Flare Dragon from my hand. Since there are two pyro-type monsters on the field, you can't attack either of them.

"Lastly, I'll set one card and use Dark Room of Nightmare, which makes you lose an extra 300 lifepoints each time you take non-battle damage. I end my turn." _"Hermos will take 500 damage from each dragon, plus 300 each thanks to Dark Room of Nightmare…she'll deal 1600 damage by ending her turn!"_

3700/1900

"_Plus, Hermos will lose a total of 800 when I start my turn, and another 1600 when I end it again. Cool! Unless Hermos can pull a rabbit out of his helmet during his move, it's over for him."_

"I summon Hayabusa Knight (1000/700), using the Cybernetic Magician to fuel the Sword of Renewal. The effect of Cybernetic Magician lets me tribute a card from my hand to make the attack points of monster on the field 2000 for a turn. I'll tribute a card to make the attack of Hayabusa Knight 2000. Next, I use the Scroll of Bewitchment, changing the element of one of your first Solar Flare Dragons to water." It stunk, since now the dragons weren't invulnerable anymore. "Now, I destroy your second Solar Flare Dragon!"

3200/1900

"Plus, my monster's special effect lets it attack a second time, so I destroy your remaining monster!"

2700/1900

"I end my turn."

2700/1100

I drew, and gave him a sad smile. "Sorry. That was a very impressive counter, but I'm afraid the duel ends here. I use Poison of the Old Man, which lets me either raise my lifepoints by 1200, or damage you by 800. I choose to damage you, and the extra boost from Dark Room of Nightmare will deplete your remaining lifepoints."

2700/0

"Nice work, Shizuka!" Ed complimented.

"You're very skilled," said Hermos. "I'm sure you'll put the Sword of Renewal to good use." And like Timaeus, he disappeared.

Winry held her head. "All this magic…I'm definitely not in Risembool anymore."

As I clipped the second sword to my belt, I felt fatigue set in. "That…that Orichalcos took a lot out of me; so did Hermos' magic. I think I need a short nap."

Daisuke sighed. "Fair enough, I guess. You did an impressive day's work."

With that, I lay down in the soft grass and closed my eyes. My last thoughts before drifting off were, _"I can do it, Master. I can complete this quest. I can…defeat you."_

**End Chapter**

So, Shizuka has another Legendary Sword. Too bad she sent a bad guy Loki's way. What'll come from their inevitable battle?


	5. Critias Awakens: Loki's Greatest Demon

**Shizuka's Eyes**

After my encounter with the sandman, I dreamed of the Kaiba brothers, Seto and Mokuba. Kaiba was in Duelist Kingdom, dueling against Pegasus. Kaiba only had Versago the Destroyer (1100/900) in defense mode, and Pegasus's field was clear.

2000/2200

"Your move, Pegasus," declared Kaiba.

Pegasus just stood there in shocked silence. It was strange: I dueled alongside Pegasus once, and I never saw him get stunned like that.

"Alright, who are you?" demanded Kaiba. "My strategy was flawless, but the real Pegasus would have foreseen this situation. You're simply imitating his old tactics. I know Pegasus isn't that stupid; you are _not_ Pegasus. Who are you?"

His opponent looked up with a grin. "You're very perceptive. You're right; I'm _not_ Pegasus." Then he ripped off his mask and costume, revealing himself to be Alistair, one of the guys with the Orichalcos! "I'm one of Doma's Three Swordsman, Alistair!"

"'Doma'? 'Three swordsmen'?"

"I won't forgive you."

"What's going on, Alistair?"

"This is your retribution, Seto Kaiba!" he declared as he showed off his green Duel Disk. He drew from the deck and said, "Activating Seal of Orichalcos!" Once they were both trapped in its boundary he stated, "I am commanded by the King of Doma to take your soul!" That's when I realized I was afflicted with another vision.

Kaiba looked around, surprised. "What is this!?"

"It's the Seal of Orichalcos. We're locked inside, and soon you'll lose your soul. But it's not for the first time, huh?"

Mokuba ran over to Kaiba, but fell back as he hit the invisible barrier. Kaiba spun around, horrified. "Mokuba!"

"Big brother!" he cried out as he desperately banged on the barrier.

Alistair laughed. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?"

Kaiba angrily turned back to him. "The appearance of the Duel Monsters…the buyout of Kaiba Corp stock…was that all your doing!?

"Possibly."

"Just what are your true intentions?"

"I told you: to take your soul."

"Stop this boring nonsense!"

"Not a chance. You must pay for your crimes with your soul!"

"What crime? What the hell are you talking about?"

"For now, it's time to let your destruction begin. I summon Gorlag (1000/600) in attack mode! And the Seal of Orichalcos raises his attack points by 500. Furthermore, he gains 500 more attack points for every Fire monster on my field, including itself, giving him a grand total of 2000 attack points! Gorlag, destroy his Versago!" The second it disappeared from Kaiba's field, it reappeared on Alistair's. "By Gorlag's effect, after my Battle Phase, a monster destroyed by Versago appears on my field as a Fire monster, with its effect negated. I'll set one card and end my turn."

"It's showtime," declared Kaiba. "I'll set one card facedown, and play Pitch-Dark Dragon (900/600) in defense mode!"

Alistair chuckled. "I see. Your facedown card is obviously Crush Card Virus. I've had my eye on you for a long time, and I know every pathetic detail of your life, including your obvious Duel Monsters strategies."

Kaiba smirked. "I understand. A boor afraid of the powerful must be well-prepared."

"_You're_ the boor, Kaiba!"

"What did I do to you?" demanded Kaiba.

"You ruined my life." He took a charred action figure out of his pocket. "This is all I have. It used to be my brother's, but I'll never see him again…BECAUSE YOUR COMPANY KILLED MY BROTHER!" he screamed.

I felt my heart stop. _"He can't be serious! Kaiba's a jerk, but would never do such a thing!"_

"My country used to be beautiful. I can still remember the beautiful scenes from many years ago. But I've also seen hell. My country was wrecked with war for years; both my parents were killed, and all I had left was my brother. We were taken to a refugee camp one day, under the escort of soldiers in Kaiba Corp tanks. We were attacked, and Mikey…he was in a tank when it was destroyed by enemy missile fire."

Glaring at Kaiba he growled, "It wasn't until the end of the war that I discovered who the real culprit was: Gozaburo Kaiba! He was responsible for my brother's death, because he sold his new tanks to both sides! It's all his fault! And you run his evil company now, so it's _your_ fault too!"

"That's not true!" protested Mokuba.

"My heart died that day. This is my revenge."

"It was Gozaburo who sold the weapons, not Seto! He hated what Gozaburo did, so he bought out Kaiba Corporation. He wanted to use his wealth and abilities to create something better. He is the redemption of Kaiba Corp!"

"…"

"Seto wanted to build Kaiba Land for all the children in the world!"

"Don't make me laugh. Can he revive my parents and brother!?"

Mokuba shrank back. "I…"

"That's enough, Mokuba," said Kaiba.

"But brother…"

"Are you pleased!?" demanded Alistair. "Kaiba Corp destroyed peace to get profits! Everything you two have was paid for by Kaiba Corp, and that same money took my brother away! It's time to pay me back with your soul!"

Kaiba closed his eyes. "I _did_ take over Kaiba Corporation; I won't deny that." His eyes flew open and he continued, "Clearly, you have own way of seeing the truth. I can only duel to show you I'm right."

"_I'll_ be the one who's right; you can't beat me. I activate my facedown card, Royal Decree, negating all trap cards on the field except itself!"

"_Oh no!"_ I thought. _"Now Kaiba can't use his Crush Card Virus!"_

"I end my turn," mumbled Kaiba.

"Then it's time to bring the pain! Gorlag, destroy his Pitch-Dark Dragon!" Once it was destroyed, he declared. "Versago, attack directly!"

400/2200

A second later, Pitch-Dark Dragon appeared on his field as a Fire monster, boosting Gorlag's strength. "It's only a matter of time!"

Kaiba drew, and then smiled. "I play the spell, Card of Demise! It lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand, but then I must discard my entire hand five turns later. Then I play White Dragon Ritual, sacrificing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand to special summon Paladin of White Dragon (1900/1200)! Then I use Monster Reborn to bring my Blue-Eyes back from the graveyard! Paladin, destroy Pitch-Dark Dragon!"

400/1700

With it gone, Gorlag lost attack points. "Blue-Eyes, destroy Gorlag with white lightning!"

400/1200

With Gorlag gone, so too was Versago. "And I'm not through yet. I use the effect of my Paladin, letting me sacrifice him to special summon another Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck. You said I can't win. Now I return those words to you."

"You're so predictable," said Alistair as he drew. "I play Pot of Greed, letting me draw two. Then I use Aetonix's Flame, which destroys all non-Fire monsters on the field, and lets me bring back my Gorlag! Then I use Fire Whip, which special summons the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons on my side of the field as Fire monsters!"

"Those dragons are mine!" snapped Kaiba.

"Soon I'll use your favorite monsters to take you down. It's the perfect revenge." As the dragons became stronger by the Orichalcos he said, "You're facing three monsters with a total of 10,000 attack points. But fortunately for you, the effect of Fire Whip stops me from attacking this turn. So I'll set one card facedown and end my turn. This will be your last draw!"

As he reached for his card, he froze, and I felt some strange energy coming from his deck. And also, I felt Loki's presence. Kaiba drew his card and declared, "I summon the Fang of Critias!" I watched, amazed as a dragon similar to Yugi's appeared.

Alistair was shocked. "WHAT? But you don't have that card in your deck!"

"Apparently, I do. My monster's special effect allows me to merge my monster with any trap in my possession, and I use Crush Card! And with that, I create the Doom Virus Dragon (1900/0)!" Slowly, his dragon began to take a bigger form. "Now, my monster automatically destroys every monster on your side of the field with 1500 attack points or more!" With that, Alistair's field was clear. "I attack directly! Game over!"

"I'm not finished yet! I activate my quick-play spell, Contagion of Madness, so you'll take damage equal to half the amount I'm taking!"

0/0

With the draw, the Seal of Orichalcos vanished in a burst of light, throwing Kaiba and Mokuba back. Alistair disappeared, but I still heard him say, "This isn't over! I'll be back, and you'll pay for what your father did to me!"

And then I woke up. _"Poor Alistair. He's so obsessed with thoughts of revenge that he's blinded. He was fortunate to survive today, but he's bound to go after Kaiba again."_

"Hey, are you awake?" I looked over, and saw the others leaning on the Stonehenge boulders.

I yawned and pushed myself up. "Yeah, let's go continue our quest." _"Especially since now I have a better idea of how many lives are counting on me."_

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

"…Then the doctor says, 'OK, now it's MY turn to cough!'" said Tristan, and laughed uproariously.

I completely missed his joke, but I suppose it was just as well. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Yugi hold the Eye of Timaeus card, which glowed for some reason. And I received a vision of Kaiba dueling against Alistair. He played a card called Fang of Critias, which had a power extremely similar to Yugi's dragon. And the strangest thing was that I had a feeling that Shizuka was also watching.

We all remained silent for a moment. I was the first to break the silence by saying, "Tristan, you need to throw out your joke book," in an attempt to pretend nothing weird happened.

He frowned. "Fine. You tell a better one."

I only complied with his demand because there was no telling how much longer the limo ride would last. "Ok, then. Before I came to Domino, I bought a self-learning record to learn Japanese. I turned it on and went to sleep; the record got stuck. The next day I could only _stutter_ in Japanese." Everybody laughed.

Suddenly, we stopped as the limo parked in front of a gas station in the middle of the desert. To our surprise, the driver got out of the limo and began to walk away. I quickly hopped out and called after him, "Hey! Where do you think you're going!?" He continued walking as if he didn't hear me, until he vanished in the horizon. "What the hell?"

The others climbed out too. "Where did he go?" asked Téa. I pointed in the direction. "What did he do that for?"

I frowned as I heard a soft rumbling sound. "Hey, do you hear that?" asked Joey.

"I do," I answered. "It sounds like…motorcycles?"

Yugi strained his ears. "…Yeah, I hear it now, too!"

We ran out into the road and looked off into the distance. From where the driver went, there was a huge cloud of dust coming our way, caused by a gang of bikers. They were all unidentifiable, due to the fact they all wore helmets over their faces. Tristan went into a defensive posture. "I have a feeling they're not here to rescue us."

I nodded. "You may be right about that."

Eventually, the bikers stopped in front of us. Joey pulled Téa behind him asking, "You guys have a problem?"

"Things needn't get messy," I said. "If a fight breaks out, there'll likely be victims on both sides. Just move on, please." But I knew that wasn't an option. I felt their auras were tainted by darkness.

The other Yugi must've felt it too, because he switched with the regular Yugi. "I think these are Doma's people."

"Guys?" asked Joey. "…Run." On that command, we made a dash back to the limo, but we quickly found ourselves surrounded, with our only means of escape beyond our grasp. As they rode, they took out a bunch of metal poles and started swinging them around.

Eventually, they stopped, forming a barrier around us. A beam of green light shot down from the sky, landing outside the barrier. The bikers parted slightly to let in an Orichalcos duelist, who reminded me of a young Dracula. "And so begins your destruction," he said. "My name is Rayth." He pointed towards me. "Loki Admin, step forward!"

I nodded and took a few steps in his direction. "What do you want from me?"

"It's the same thing I want from your friends: your soul! I paid a little visit to your disciple yesterday. A spunky little number she was."

I clenched my fists. "What…you mean Shizuka!?"

Joey looked like he was ready to start kicking ass. "SHIZUKA!? If you lay a hand on her-"

"No, she was lucky enough to survive the wrath of the Orichalcos," said Rayth. "But I figured she got all of her confidence from Loki here. So…once I tell her that her boyfriend lost his soul, she'll be easy pickings next time around!" With that, he activated his Duel Disk.

"I cannot allow a filthy creature like you to even talk about Shizuka," I snarled as I activated my Duel Disk. "It's a revolting insult against nature."

"How cruel. We insults-against-nature have feelings too. Well then…let's go!"

4000/4000

"You're at a severe disadvantage," said Rayth as he drew. "Not only do I possess dark powers beyond your comprehension, but I've seen your deck in action before. I know exactly what it's capable of."

"But do you know what _I'm_ capable of?" I challenged.

"Same difference. But for now, I play the continuous spell, Samsara! From now on, monsters tributed for a Ritual Summon are shuffled to the deck instead of being sent to the Graveyard."

"_A Ritual deck, huh?"_ I thought. _"Those have a nasty tendency to wear down a duelist's cards, but that Samsara corrects that weakness."_

"Next, I play the spell, Advanced Ritual Art!" he declared. "It lets me special summon a Ritual monster in my hand, by sending normal monsters in my deck to the graveyard whose total level equals that of my monster!"

I growled. "But the effect of Samsara will immediately let you return those monsters to your deck."

"Very perceptive. So, I send two level four monsters to the graveyard to bring forth Black Luster Soldier (3000/2500)!" A second later, the sacrificed cards returned to his deck. "Then I'll set one card and one monster, ending my turn."

"Alright," I said. "For my move, I summon Chthonian Soldier (1200/1400)! Then I'll set two cards and end my turn."

He drew. "I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards." After a brief moment, he smiled. "Let's up the ante, shall we? I think it's about time I played…the Seal of Orichalcos!"

As I became trapped in its barrier I thought, _"So, this is how it feels. I'm forced to fight stronger monsters, I'm cut off from my friends, and I lose my soul if I make one false move."_

As the seal appeared on Rayth's head he said, "Drown in despair! I activate my trap, Ring of Destruction, which I use on your Chthonian Soldier! It's destroyed, and we both lose lifepoints equal to its attack points!"

2800/2800

"One hit won't win the duel," I protested.

"Agreed, but I'm not done hitting you yet. I flip up my facedown Magician of Faith (300/400), letting me return Advanced Ritual Art to my hand! Next, I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands (1400/1000) in attack mode! And lest you forget, all of my monsters gain 500 attack points from the Orichalcos."

"I haven't forgotten."

"And now the effect of Manju kicks in and I get to add a Ritual spell or monster to my hand from my deck. Then I play Doriado's Blessing, sacrificing Manju and Magician of Faith to play Elemental Mistress Doriado (1200/1400) in attack mode! And of course, Samsara returns my ritual fodder to my deck!"

"_This guy's really starting to annoy me."_

"Black Luster Soldier, attack directly!"

I snapped my fingers. "I activate Call of the Haunted, letting me bring my Chthonian Soldier back from the graveyard! Now, if you want to attack with your Black Luster Soldier this turn, you have to attack him. And if you do, we'll both be brought down to 500 lifepoints thanks to his effect. And I'm sure you're not brave enough to take such a hit this early in the game."

Rayth angrily grunted. "Call of the Haunted? But I scanned the deck she used. It's supposed to be identical to this deck!"

I shrugged. "Shizuka knows the importance of individuality. Maybe she took out Call of the Haunted in favor of something else. Tell me…are you getting a bad feeling about this duel now?"

"…Nonsense! I can't attack with Black Luster Soldier anymore, but I still have Doriado! Doriado, attack his monster!"

2300/2300

"I don't get it," said Joey. "Why can't he attack with Black Luster Soldier?"

"It's called a Replay," explained Pharaoh. "Whenever the amount of monsters on the opponent's field changes when you declare an attack, a Replay occurs, and the attacker has to choose whether or not he wants to continue the attack. If he does, he has to choose his target accordingly, but if he doesn't, the monster can't attack again that turn, because it already declared an attack."

"Oh, I get it!"

Rayth pointed at me. "You may have a few clever tricks up your sleeve, but they won't save you. I have over a hundred years of experience, due to my time in the Shadow Realm."

I raised my eyebrow. "You were in the Shadow Realm!? I didn't think people sent there tended to make social calls."

He closed his eyes. "It was during the 1800s, in Romania. I attempted to perform a ritual to absorb Dracula's dark energy, in order to gain the power to achieve immortality."

"_Kinda like Garza,"_ I thought.

"But something went wrong," he continued. "Perhaps one of my priests chanted wrong, or we didn't meet all the requirements, or the offering wasn't acceptable for some reason. Whatever the reason, I found myself dragged into the long-forgotten Shadow Realm. But then I was pulled out years later, and allowed to stay in this realm as long as I served Doma. So you understand that I simply can't lose."

"I thought you reeked of darkness," I snarled. "Perhaps calling you an insult against nature was too nice."

"You watch your tone," he snarled.

"You watch me prevail," I declared as I drew. "From my hand, I special summon Cyber Dragon (2100/1600) in attack mode!"

Rayth flinched. "What!? You had that card!?"

"Shizuka upgraded my spare deck, and I upgraded my real one. Normally my monster requires a sacrifice to bring out, but since you had monsters on the field and I didn't, I was allowed to special summon him from my hand. And next, I summon Amazoness Swordswoman (1500/1600) in attack mode! Cyber Dragon, destroy his Doriado with evolution burst!"

2300/1900

"And there's more where that came from! Swordswoman, attack his Black Luster Soldier! And because she passes all battle damage to you, this duel is over!"

"Nice try. But I discard Kuriboh from my hand to make my damage zero!" In the end, all I ended up doing was destroy my own monster. "I won't be defeated by such a cheap trick. Who do you think I am?"

"Captain Bigmouth," I snarled.

"Insolent, even in the face of extreme danger," he said as he drew. "Well, maybe this will teach you some respect. But first, I play the spell, Dragged Down to the Grave! We show each other our hands, discard one of the opponent's cards to the graveyard, and draw one card." I showed off my cards. "You can send your Sakuretsu Armor to the graveyard."

"As you wish," I said as I sent it away and drew a card. I saw he had Exchange and Advanced Ritual Art. "And you can toss away Advanced Ritual Art."

As he drew a new card he said, "It's time to prove your mettle, Loki Admin. I activate the spell, Exchange! Now, we each select one card from each other's hand, and take it for ourselves. Since I just have the one card left, you don't have much choice. But I think I'll take your Reflect Bounder." We tossed the chosen cards to each other.

As soon as I caught his card, I felt a dark chill throughout my being. I didn't see the card face, but I knew exactly what it was. "This is…"

He grinned. "It's another Seal of Orichalcos. It's useless to me, since I can't remove the current one from my field. And it's useless to you, because you don't have the guts to use it."

"…"

"And now, I summon my new Reflect Bounder (1700/1000) to the field, only now he's even stronger due to the power of the Orichalcos! Black Luster Soldier, attack his monster with chaos blade!"

900/1900

"Reflect Bounder, finish him!"

"I activate the effect of the Kuriboh you just let me draw! I discard him to the graveyard to nullify the damage!" However, I still felt the force behind its strike. It slammed me against the invisible wall. I then fell to my knees and started vomiting blood.

"Loki!" called out the others.

Rayth laughed. "As I thought, you're weak. But in the end, it's really your apprentice who suffers most from it, isn't it? Well, once I take your soul, I'll put her out of her misery."

Something inside me snapped just then. "You…would hurt…SHIZUKA!?" I leapt to my feet. "You will not lay a finger on her! UNDERSTAAAAAAAAND!?"

"You're getting your killer instinct _now_? It's too little too late."

"Too late for you to beg for mercy!" I screamed. I pointed the Orichalcos card at him. "You were a fool to put this card into my hand!"

Pharaoh ran over to edge of the barrier. "Loki, no! If you play that card-"

"Stay out of this, Pharaoh!" The ferocity in my voice caused him to back off. "I invoke the Seal of Orichalcos!"

As soon as I slapped that cursed card into my Duel Disk, I set off an irreversible chain of events. The nature of the Orichalcos bathes the soul in pure evil energy. The evil energy interacted with my active powers which, in turn, awakened dormant powers. And when they came to life, so did an evil demon that slept in me since my birth. It was a demon that gave me my powers in the first place, and was the only reason I was around. And one day, it would nearly cause the destruction of the world.

But right then and there, for a brief moment, there were simply too many presences in my body. And the shock of this awakened demon forced Tom and I out of our body, and we were pushed back by the second Orichalcos Barrier. We watched in horror outside the barrier of the Orichalcos; it was a living nightmare, watching my body commit such a horrible act, and being unable to stop it.

"Pathetic," said the demon. "That the foolish boy survived this long is a miracle. But he was so weak that I simply had to take over."

Rayth could clearly see something was wrong. "Who the hell are you?"

"Me? I'm the true Loki. Now that introductions are done with, I will kill you. I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard (1400/1200)! Thanks to the Orichalcos, he gains 500 more attack points. And now, I attack your Reflect Bounder!"

Rayth smirked. "Don't you know your own cards? When Reflect Bounder is attacked, you lose lifepoints equal to your monster's attack points!"

"I anticipated this. In response, I play Barrel Behind the Door! It causes you to take the damage instead. You've been killed by your own effect!"

900/0

"Die. DIE!" The two layers of the Orichalcos began to contract, harmlessly passing through our body, until they only surrounded Rayth. Rayth conjured a powerful orb of dark energy to prevent his soul from being taken. Just as the first layer was destroyed, Rayth completely ran out of dark energy. He collapsed in a heap, helpless to resist the second Orichalcos card. His twitching stopped around the same time the circle faded away.

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

When I regained my senses, I felt myself lying on a rumbling platform. "Where am I?"

"You're awake?" asked Téa. "The limo overheated, so we hitched a ride on this truck."

"The other bikers let us go after…?" I let the question drift away.

"Not really," said Tristan. "Some girl rode by in a bike and beat them all up. But more importantly, what were you thinking, playing that card!?"

I slowly sat up. "The thought of Shizuka being in danger made me take leave of my senses. Guys…I'm so sorry."

"I guess it's forgivable," said Joey with a shrug. "I mean, I'm glad you're looking out for Shizuka."

"Not about that. I discovered some shocking truths about myself when I played that card. I have…deep roots in Ancient Egypt that I discovered."

Pharaoh frowned. "Involving the Millennium Items?"

"Partially. Five millennia ago, a little after you defeated a great evil, a boy named Loki was born. His father was Seth, the head of the royal grave keepers; his mother was a high mage in the court of the new pharaoh, and creator of the Dark Magician Girl."

"What!? Seriously?" asked Joey.

I nodded. "My tale gets weirder. After the Nameless Pharaoh's victory, the new pharaoh banned the use of Duel Monsters. That turned out to be a mistake, because with an invasion from a neighboring kingdom, the Egyptian forces had great difficulty coping. Egypt won, but not without many casualties. Loki was furious with the Pharaoh, and took matters into his own hands. He took the Millennium Scale from its resting place, as well as the tablet for the Pharaoh's Blue-Eyes White Dragon-"

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon!?" they all exclaimed.

"Let me finish! …Loki attempted to use the Scale to create a duplicate of the great monster, but something went wrong. Because the Scale was used by someone with dark intent, the copied monster was also dark. Such was the birth of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Loki ended up fusing with this monster and gained unimaginable power. He used it to create seven other monsters, which he used to lead an assault against the pharaoh.

"The Pharaoh unleashed his great monster, as well as a legion of other monsters, to do battle with this threat. Sadly, the pharaoh was completely outmatched. Loki was steps away from becoming the new pharaoh. However, he was defeated by a warrior who wielded the Dark Magician Girl. He battled Loki directly, making him lose concentration on the control of his monsters. They were all wiped out, and Loki was stripped of his powers. However, Loki's mother and the mysterious warrior coaxed the Pharaoh into being merciful, believing in his potential for good.

"So, Loki was trapped in the Shadow Realm for 5000 years, until being reborn in the body of Tom Galloway. But the shock of such a dark soul meeting a light soul put Loki in a deep sleep, and created a new presence – one created by the light of the host and the darkness of the spirit – a being who teetered in twilight. And that being…is me." I turned to the others. "…_Now_ you can start asking questions."

"So…you're _not_ Loki?" asked Joey.

"That's a good question. …I know I'm the guy who helped bring you to the hospital before Battle City. I'm the guy who severely clashed with Yugi in Battle City. I'm the guy who taught Shizuka for two months. I'm the guy who saved the world from Kuhates. I'm the guy you've known for quite a while. But the body is Tom Galloway…the spark that created me is Loki…so I really don't know _what _I am. I came into being completely by accident."

"You're a mistake?" asked Tristan. Téa elbowed him the stomach for the major faux pas.

"It's ok, Téa. I don't take exception to that, because it's true. I'm probably one of the most improbable beings you'll ever see, and I don't mean it in a good way. Technically, the only name I've ever owned for myself is Siege."

"I know one thing," said Joey. "You may not be who you thought you were, but you're still Loki to me." The others nodded in agreement.

I was extremely touched by their compassion. "…You guys rock. I just wanted to let you guys know that."

"Is this whole…thing…part of the reason why you sometimes cough up blood during duels?"

"Indeed, yes. See, Loki was afflicted with a curse to make sure he didn't abuse his powers: if he ever dabbled with Shadow Creatures, the blood of his victims would fill his throat and choke him to death. Luckily, the curse was made during a time when monsters were real, instead of cards. I think the reason I don't die from my affliction is because the Shadow Creatures nowadays are cards; but I'm still partially afflicted because they still represent the original monsters. It sucks, doesn't it?"

About ten minutes later, we arrived at Industrial Illusions. We took our bags and hopped out, and the man drove away. Taking a step towards the entrance, I felt a sickening, yet familiar, presence. I held out my arm to block the others. "I sense the taint of the Orichalcos within."

"Are you sure?" asked Pharaoh.

"Positive. Once you get a taste of it, you recognize it instantly."

Téa shrugged. "Even so, we can't just walk away now."

"No, I suppose not." With that, we walked inside. Surprisingly, the place seemed completely abandoned. "Hello?"

Joey crossed his arms. "Maybe it's some kind of holiday."

"If there was a vacation, do you really think they'd leave the doors unlocked?"

Téa walked over to a phone in the corner and picked it up. "It's been disconnected."

Suddenly, the security gates slammed shut behind us, completely sealing us in. Joey and Tristan ran over and furiously banged on them. "They won't budge!" cried Tristan.

"Stand aside," I instructed. "Since the Sorcerer Loki awakened within me, I felt my power rise. And I'll use that power to smash these gates down!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"I certainly am. Now, move aside!" Joey and Tristan quickly ran out of the way. I ran towards the door at full speed, jumped up, and landed a solid kick in the middle of the door. The sound of the crash echoed loudly through the giant foyer. I shrieked as I landed, and held my leg in pain. "…I guess the powers of Sorcerer Loki don't lie in physical strength," I moaned as I lay on the floor.

"Don't be too sure about that," said Tristan. He indicated the spot where I kicked, revealing a nice dent. "We certainly couldn't do that without a hammer."

We stopped talking when we heard the rev of a motorcycle from the upper level. A red bike flew down from the upper level and landed in front of us, with a female biker. "She's the one who saved us from those punks before!" exclaimed Joey. "Is that…is that you, Mai?"

I frowned. "Mai Valentine? What makes you think it's her?"

"She threw some cards at those punks, and one of them was Harpie Lady. That's her signature card!" The woman took off her helmet, and proved Joey right. "Did Pegasus call you here too? You should be careful."

"Pegasus isn't here," she answered, drawing a card from her Duel Disk. "At least, not in the sense you're thinking of." She showed us the card: Pegasus, trapped in the Seal of Orichalcos!

**End Chapter**

It gets harder and harder to tell difference between the good guys and the bad guys by the second, doesn't it? R&R.


	6. Hermos Awakens: Why Join the Dark Side?

**Loki's Eyes**

It was difficult for it to sink in. I could accept that Pegasus had his soul taken by the Orichalcos; I actually already accepted the possibility when I first felt the taint in the Industrial Illusions building. The shock of fear on Pegasus's face didn't affect me all that much either; I've seen Shizuka look anguished before, and there are few things that could make me feel worse.

But to discover the one who did it was one of Joey's friends was the hard part. We never really spoke, but she seemed like a nice person under her tough façade.

"What have you done!?" I demanded. "Return his soul at once!"

"Three things, hun," she sneered as she casually tossed the card away. "Firstly, I don't know how to do that. Secondly, even if I _could_ free him, that's not the way to ask. And thirdly, even _if_ you asked nicely, I wouldn't do it."

"I don't believe this!" said Téa. "You really did that to Pegasus?"

"You'd better start talking!" snapped Joey.

"Or else what?" We looked up to the source of the voice, and saw Rafael and Valon standing together on the balcony. "You know, Mai said she'd kill you all with her own hands," said Valon.

"You lie," I snarled.

"You wish." Looking over to Mai he said, "You realize your mission was only to hunt Pegasus. Joey and the Nameless Pharaoh are mine and Rafael's enemies."

"Mind your own business!" ordered Mai. "These geeks are mine."

"But we're your friends!" protested Joey. "Please, say this is all a joke!"

"I…I don't believe this," murmured Tristan. "Why would Mai betray us?"

I closed my eyes and focused on Mai's aura. "…Such is the influence of the Orichalcos," I answered. "Her intentions are not truly her own."

Mai raised her Duel Disk, which unfolded as she spoke. "If you want to escape, defeat me in a duel! Face me, Joey!" Joey was clearly uncomfortable with the prospect of facing her, but he went into a defensive posture. As Mai drew she said, "Loki was right about one thing; I'm not the Mai I used to be. I've been reborn by the power of Orichalcos! And now, I play the Seal of Orichalcos!"

As the barrier began to form he cried out, "Please, Mai! I don't want to fight you!" But his pleas fell on deaf ears. The Orichalcos emblem was emblazoned on her forehead.

Pharaoh trembled. "Only the winner of the duel can leave the Seal of Orichalcos."

"Why are they fighting!?" cried Téa.

Tristan held his head. "This is too terrible!"

"Mai, please talk to me!" begged Joey. "There must be another way to settle this!"

"And now," said Mai, "I summon Harpie Lady (1300/1400) in attack mode! And the power of the Orichalcos strengthens her attack points by 500!"

"Please, stop! Someone's going to get hurt!"

Ignoring Joey's words Mai asked, "It's your move; what're you waiting for?"

"Obviously, I'm waiting for you to come to your senses!"

"Mai, don't do this!" yelled Téa. "You're putting your own life on the line as well!"

I gave a sad sigh. "It's hopeless. The real Mai isn't completely gone, but it's locked deep in the mind of Joey's opponent, suffering terribly. I bear no ill will against her, but I believe the right thing to do is release her tortured soul."

"I don't like this," growled Pharaoh, looking down at his Millennium Puzzle. "But…"

"Oh, Pharaoh!" called Valon. "Remember, you can't destroy the Seal of Orichalcos with the power of a Millennium Item."

"And once she finishes your friend," added Rafael, "I'll be taking your soul as well."

Mai angrily turned back to them for a second. "Get back in your cage! When I'm through with Wheeler, Yugi's mine." Turning back to Joey she ordered, "Make your move!"

"No! I'm not going to duel you!"

"Are you afraid to lose, like in Battle City?"

"No…I'm afraid to win. If I do, you'll lose your soul!"

"So what? Duels are always serious. A duelist has to bet on their own future. This isn't some fun game; if you want to run away, I was stupid to value you."

Joey sighed. "Is there nothing to do but fight?"

"How many times must I tell you!?" In response, Joey finally activated his Duel Disk.

"Stop!" cried out Téa.

"They won't," I said. "Their pride – very much like the Orichalcos – will never allow it."

4000/4000

"Right," said Joey. "I play Alligator Sword (1500/1200) in defense mode, and end my turn."

"What a lame move!" criticized Mai. "I summon another Harpie Lady in attack mode! My first Harpie Lady will crush your monster!" Once it was gone she declared, "My second Harpie Lady will attack you directly!"

2200/4000

"I knew you'd be easy to beat, but I didn't think it'd be this easy. I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Then I'll play Rocket Warrior (1500/1300) in defense mode, and set one card facedown, ending my turn."

Valon laughed. "It looks like your boyfriend's afraid to attack you! It's time to finish him off."

Mai turned back. "Don't be a backseat duelist!" Turning to Joey she said, "It's time to win."

"I'll find a way to save us both," vowed Joey.

"Harpie Lady, attack his Rocket Warrior!" Again, Joey's field was cleared. "Harpie Lady, attack directly!"

"Not this time! I activate Scapegoat, giving me four Sheep Tokens (0/0) to defend myself with."

"I play my own trap card, Nightmare Tri-Mirror! I get to place a number of mirror tokens on my field equal to the tokens on _your_ field! And they all gain the attack points of my Harpie Lady!"

"Wait a minute!" protested Tristan. "That adds up to six monsters, and you're only allowed to have five at a time!"

"You forget," I said, "that the Orichalcos lets her have up to _ten_ monsters."

"Harpie Lady," declared Mai, "destroy one of the Scapegoats!" When it was destroyed she explained, "My mirror tokens can't attack on the same turn they're summoned, so I'll set one card and end my turn."

I crossed my arms. "Pharaoh, have you ever seen Nightmare Tri-Mirror before?"

Pharaoh shook his head. "I think it's a special card that can only be used inside the Seal of Orichalcos."

"Alright," said Joey, "I summon Panther Warrior (2000/1600) in attack mode! He needs a sacrifice to attack, so I'll sacrifice one of my tokens so he can take down a Harpie Lady!"

"I play my facedown card," said Mai. "Harpie's Sparrow Formation! If I have more than three Harpie monsters on the field, and one of them is attacked, I can negate your attack!"

"She didn't have that card in Battle City," noted Tristan.

Pharaoh nodded. "Mai has a stronger deck than the last time we saw her."

"Please, Mai," said Joey, "I don't know what kind of spell those guys put on you, but you have to wake up, or we'll both be in trouble!"

Mai shook her head. "You still don't get it. There's no spell. No one's controlling me; I was sick of my life, so I chose to change it. You wouldn't understand, because you've never been an outsider like me; all you know is going forward. I tried to chase after you after Battle City, so I kept entering tournament after tournament, and I won all the time. But even though I won, I felt no relief. Whenever my rank in Battle City was talked about, the conversation would immediately switch to the winners: Yugi this, Loki that, Joey that!"

I frowned. "Well, don't take it out on us. Maybe we're known more because we all fought for something other than ourselves; ever think of that?"

"After that," Mai continued, "the nightmares started, and always the same one: my banishment to the Shadow Realm, being suffocated by the sand in that wretched hourglass, praying for help from my friends that never came. The fear of failure dominates my heart, as well as my need for victory. I wanted more! I wanted…I want what you got in Battle City: the power to never lose a duel!"

Joey sank a little. "I had no idea you were in such pain."

"I tried my hardest to catch up with you. I want to beat you any way I have to, and this is the only way." Mai drew and smirked. "The end is near. I play Harpie's Phoenix Formation, which lets me destroy one of your monsters for each Harpie on my field! Then you lose lifepoints equal to the combined attack points of your destroyed monsters!"

200/4000

"You're one attack away from losing your lifepoints and your soul. Any last requests?"

"Mai bet everything she has on this duel," said Pharaoh. "Her determination has already surpassed Joey's!"

"I don't believe this," I murmured. "Joey's one of the most passionate duelists I know!"

For the longest time, Joey said nothing. When he finally spoke, it was the one phrase I never thought I'd hear him utter. "I quit," he declared as he started to place his hand over his deck.

"Joey, no!" yelled Pharaoh. "Forfeiting is not the answer. If you give up on the duel, you give up on yourself, and your friends. If you want to save Mai, you must keep fighting. Right now, Mai is driven by anger, jealousy, and hatred. You must remind her about what dueling is truly about: trust, conviction, and heart."

"He's right, Joey," I agreed. "Mai's in a dark place right now, and it's up to you to set her free!"

Joey nodded. "Thanks, guys; I forgot about the heart of the cards." Turning back to Mai he said, "The duel's still on, and from now on, I'm giving it everything I got!" As he drew he declared, "It's time to show you what true dueling is all about. I play Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200) in attack mode!"

"But that has six stars!" argued Mai.

"But his special effect lets me special summon him from my hand if your monsters outnumber mine by at least two. Fiend Megacyber, attack one of her Harpie Ladies!"

200/3600

"Then I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Good," said Mai. "I've been waiting for this for a long time: a serious duel with you to the end. One I'll win. Once I attack, it's over!"

"Hey, guys!" I heard someone yell at the front gate. We turned, and saw Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood outside. And in front of them was Duke Devlin. "Are you dueling in there?"

"No time for that, Devlin," I said. "We're kinda trapped in here."

"Gotcha. I'll find a way to get you out of there!"

As he ran out, Weevil and Rex stared in horror at the dueling field. "That's it!" cried Weevil. "That's the magic circle we were trapped in!"

"And now," said Mai, "I sacrifice two of my monsters to summon Harpie's Pet Dragon (2000/2500)! The Orichalcos gives it more power, and its effect gives it 300 attack points for every other Harpie on my field, giving it a total of 3400! Dragon, crush his Fiend Megacyber with fearsome fire blast!"

"I play a trap, Compensation Mediation!" declared Joey. "It gets shuffled together with two cards from your graveyard, and then I choose one. If I pick my own card, your attack is negated, but if I pick one of yours, the attack goes through." Once Joey handed Mai his card, she shuffled it with two other cards and placed them facedown.

Valon scoffed. "It won't be long now."

"As long as Joey has the shining soul of a duelist," said Rafael, "he might be able to draw the right card." I was surprised to hear someone like _him_ talk about the duelist soul.

"Alright," said Joey. "I choose…that card!" he said, pointing to the one on the right. And he chose correctly. "Alright! Your attack is canceled!"

"It helps me too," said Mai, "because now I get to add those two cards to the top of my deck: Phoenix Formation and Sparrow Formation. Then I'll move one of my Harpie Ladies to the rear defense, and play two cards facedown and end my turn."

"…I'll set one card facedown, a monster in defense mode, and switch my Fiend Megacyber to defense mode."

Valon laughed. "Quick to hide behind your defenses, eh, Wheeler?"

"You shut up! Anyway, I end my turn."

Mai smirked. "You're quite calm for someone about to lose their soul."

"Hey, I've been involved in some pretty insane duels, and I learned to keep fighting until the last point is gone." As Mai drew he declared, "I play Drop Off, forcing you to discard the card you just drew!"

"Sorry, but I use my Trap Jammer, letting me discard a card to negate your card's effect." Gazing at her card for a second she said, "You have really good luck. I'll set the card I just drew."

"_I guess the card she drew was Harpie's Sparrow Formation,"_ I thought. _"Good thing too, since the Harpie's Phoenix Formation would've finished him off."_

"Dragon, destroy his Fiend Megacyber!" This time, his monster was destroyed. "Harpie Lady, attack his facedown monster!"

"Sorry, but the card you attacked is Fiber Jar (500/500)! And when it's flipped, we have to return all our cards from the field, hand, and graveyard to our decks, and draw five new cards."

"I activate a trap: Harpie's Feather Storm! It negates the effect of a monster destroyed by Harpie Lady! But lucky for you, my trap stops me from attacking directly if I destroy a monster with a Harpie Lady, so I end my turn."

"In that case, I'll set a monster and end my turn."

"Then it's time to end this," said Mai as she drew. "Remember my ultimate card!? Harpie's Phoenix Formation!" Again, Joey's monster was destroyed. "…Why haven't your lifepoints dropped!?"

Joey smirked. "The damage is equal to the attack points of my destroyed monster. And my monster…was Neko Mane King (0/0), and that means I didn't lose a single lifepoint, and you wasted your best card. Plus, since you destroyed him with a card effect, your turn automatically ends."

I grinned. _"Nice foresight, Joey. Shizuka is wise to accept you as her role model."_

Mai growled, "Is your strategy to drag the duel out forever until I forfeit from boredom!?"

"You worry about your own strategy." Joey began his draw, but suddenly froze. At that very moment, I felt a powerful force emanate from his deck. I felt a similar energy come from Yugi's deck.

Joey drew and declared, "It's time you met my new friend, Mai: Hermos!"

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

Once we returned to the ship, I plotted a new course with my magic compass. "The next sword is at…Venezuela, near the Angel Falls," I determined. "I'm annoyed with Critias for hiding his Sword of Wisdom so far away from the other two. Sword of idiocy is more like it."

"Hey!" snapped Daisuke. "You can't speak of my master in that manner! It was his idea to scatter the swords before he died. If they were all hidden in the same place, their combined powers would've been easily detected by Dartz."

"A great idea," said Edward, not masking his sarcasm. "So, how did Dartz discover where the Sword of Renewal was before you?"

Daisuke looked at his feet. "…I don't know. I guess his powers are greater than I thought."

"Lay off him, brother," said Al. "It's not as if it's _his_ fault."

"He's right," I agreed. "It's not as though Daisuke has a map of them, or he'd have found them all long ago."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," relented Edward.

I looked to the cockpit and said, "Captain, to Venezuela!" Some time into our flight, I noticed Al was staring out the window. "What's wrong?"

"I've never been in an airplane before," he said. "We're so high up! What'll happen if we fall?"

"There shouldn't be any need to worry about it. But if we _do_ fall…well, then we may have to swim the rest of the way." Suddenly, I felt this great pain in my heart. I had a terrible feeling that it had to do with Loki. I extremely very relieved when the feeling subsided.

"Hey, this Loki guy," said Edward after about twenty minutes. "What's he like?"

I thought for a moment about a way I could simply sum him up. "He's…very selfless, he's strong, he's handsome – I mean, he's a great duelist and teacher – and he never backs down from a challenge."

"…Did you say what I thought you said?"

Hoping to change the subject I asked, "How long have you been searching for the Philosopher's Stone?"

"About three to four years," he answered.

"You should tell me some stories. Who was your toughest…?" I stopped talking when I noticed my sword began to glow. My surroundings melted away and I found myself in the presence of another Orichalcos duel. I was standing beside Valon and Rafael, but they didn't seem to notice me. Looking down to the duel field, I saw Joey battling against…Mai!?

Anyway, Mai had Harpie's Pet Dragon (2000/2500) on the field, boosted to 3400 attack points thanks to various effects, three Harpie Ladies (1300/1400), a facedown card, and the Seal of Orichalcos.

200/3600

Joey drew and declared, "It's time you met my new friend, Mai: Hermos!"

"I don't believe it!" spat Valon. "How did a hack like Wheeler get his hands on that card!?"

"Maybe we look down on that guy too much," offered Rafael. "This means he is a strong duelist."

"First, I play monster Reborn," said Joey, "to bring back my Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200)!"

"I'm not impressed," said Mai. "My dragon already destroyed that card once, and he can do it again."

"I'm not done yet. I summon Time Wizard (500/400), and activate Claw of Hermos! This dragon has the ability to combine with a monster on the field to form an equipment card, so I fuse it with Time Wizard!" As he spoke, the dragon fused with Time Wizard to create…a giant hammer with a winged clock face.

Everyone was completely dumbstruck. "What…the heck…is that?" I managed to ask, though nobody could hear me.

Valon erupted in laughter. "It's a croquet hammer with wings!"

"I don't care what it looks like," said Joey. "I trust my deck. Fiend Megacyber, pick up that hammer and attack!" Fiend Megacyber grabbed the hammer and dashed towards Harpie's Pet Dragon.

"I activate Harpie's Sparrow Formation, negating your attack!" The attack stopped, but Fiend Megacyber slammed the hammer into the ground, creating an abyss on the field, and numbers appeared over Mai's monsters' heads. Harpie's Pet Dragon had a one, and the three Harpies were numbered two, three, and six.

Valon laughed again and said, "Thanks for the counting lesson!" I wish I was really there, so I could smack him for continuously insulting my brother.

"I end my turn," said Joey.

"Are you still trying to lose on purpose?" asked Mai as she drew. "It all ends here." Suddenly, all of her monsters were sucked into the abyss. "What's going on?"

"It beats me," replied Joey. "I'm as confused as you are."

"Fine. I'll just set one card and end my turn."

"Alright. I attack directly with Fiend Megacyber!"

200/1400

"Joey is truly the duelist with the Legendary Dragon," said the older duelist.

The biker looked worriedly at the field. "Mai…"

"I'll set one card and end my turn," said Joey.

Mai started trembling, holding herself tightly. "No…I can't lose…I can't go back there! I have Doma's power, so I can't lose!"

Loki suddenly looked up, as if he saw me. _**"Is that you, Shizuka?"**_ I heard him think.

"Um…yes," I answered.

"_**I don't know why you're here, but I get the feeling you're worried about Mai. Her loss to Marik damaged her more than she let on. She's obsessed with winning, so she joined these guys because she thought she'd become unstoppable."**_

I breathed a sigh of relief. "At least it's nothing personal." Suddenly, the Harpie's Pet Dragon returned. "What happened?"

"_**Best guess? The numbers above the monsters' heads probably showed how many turns before they returned to the field. Luckily, since the Harpies haven't returned, her monster doesn't get a boost from them; but it's still strong enough to finish Joey."**_

"Harpie's Pet Dragon," yelled Mai, "destroy his monster and the rest of his lifepoints!"

"Mai's losing her cool," murmured the older one.

"Mai, wait!" called out the biker. Too late.

"I activate Skull Dice!" said Joey. "Your dragon's about to lose some attack points!" He rolled a two, cutting the points in half, which was more than enough for Fiend Megacyber to destroy it.

200/450

Mai went into another nervous breakdown. "I can't lose…I can't go back to that place!"

"She's lost it," murmured Rafael. Suddenly, Valon jumped off the balcony. "Wait!"

Holding his ring in front of him, Valon yelled, "With this shard of the Orichalcos stone, I break the seal!" He punched the seal; it shattered, and a shockwave pushed everyone away. Both Mai and Joey were rendered unconscious.

The older one jumped after the biker. "Careful. Even though we're protected by the Orichalcos, releasing the seal could kill us."

"Even so, I can't let Mai duel."

The older one turned to the gang and said, "I'll make up for this by taking _your _soul, pharaoh." He held up his green stone pendant. "Its power puts the puzzle to shame!" A blinding flash of light came from the stone and filled the room.

When the light faded, I was lying on my back in the airplane, with the others standing over me. "Shizuka! Are you alright?" yelled Al.

"Hey, snap out of it!" yelled Edward.

I sat up. "There's no need to yell, guys. I'm ok, but thanks for your concern. What happened?"

"Your swords started glowing, and then you blacked out," Winry explained. "But it looks like you're feeling better now."

"I had a vision," I answered. "The third dragon has awakened. …Where's Daisuke?"

As if in response, he lurched out of the restroom. "Sorry. I wasn't feeling so well. What did I miss?"

"…Never mind."

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

About the same time they disappeared, Duke disabled the security gates. I quickly ran over to Joey. "You ok?"

Joey groaned. "…Where's Mai!?"

"Gone. She disappeared with the other two."

"No, I was so close! I…I gotta get her back!"

"Why?" asked Tristan. "She turned her back on us. You gotta face facts! Mai wasn't just playing a friendly game of Duel Monsters; she was after your soul!"

"Tactfully said," I snarled. "Since he's on the ground now, why not take the opportunity to kick him a few times!?"

Suddenly, the doors opened, and the Kaiba brothers walked in. "You dweebs again?" moaned Kaiba. It was around then that duke ran in.

"What are all you guys doing here?" asked Mokuba.

"Pegasus called us to come here," answered Pharaoh.

"Is he alright?" quizzed Kaiba.

"No, we're too late."

I nodded. "Mai Valentine got here first and took his soul with a card called the Seal of Orichalcos." Recognition flashed across Kaiba's features. "You know of it?"

"My brother just wiped the floor with someone who played it," answered Mokuba. "The duelist pretended to be Pegasus and forced us to go to Duelist Kingdom to duel him!"

"And then he ran away," finished Kaiba. "We came here to find some answers. Whoever captured Pegasus is trying to take over my company, and that's unacceptable."

"Pegasus _did_ say someone was after him," confirmed Pharaoh. "He sent me a special card and told me to guard it with my life." He pulled out the card with the key picture. "It might be a clue."

"Now that you mention it," said Duke, "there was one door upstairs that wouldn't unlock, even after I cracked the security system."

"Take us there right now!" demanded Kaiba.

"Who invited you!?" shot back Tristan.

"Let's go, Joey," said Pharaoh.

Joey took a deep breath. "…Ok." Then he got up and we followed Duke to the door. In a room on the top floor, there was a door in Pegasus's office that had a card reader. Pharaoh ran his card through, and the door opened to a large dark room.

"Man, it's so dark in there!" exclaimed Tristan.

"Maybe it's a trap by Doma?" suggested Joey. Kaiba and Mokuba simply walked in, and I immediately followed. Shortly after, the others came in too.

The lights came on, and several models of Toon monsters were revealed. "I hate Toon monsters," snarled Kaiba. Rex and Weevil scurried in afterwards.

Suddenly, a hologram projection of Pegasus appeared in the middle of the room. "Yugi-boy, welcome to my private room! It's a kingdom that can ease my mind. Do you like it?"

"Nobody likes it," muttered Tristan.

"Put a sock in it," I hissed. "This could be extremely important."

Pegasus suddenly turned more serious. "If you're hearing this, it can only mean that the people who were after my soul have captured me. It all began when a mysterious man tried to buy out my company."

Kaiba's eyes widened. "I got dragged into this mess because someone tried to buy out _my_ company, too!"

"The organization is called Doma, and it's a very rich and secret organization, operating behind the scenes for thousands of years. Was the rise and fall of Rome the inevitable result of history? Who provided the funds for exploration during the Sailing Age? Were the various popular revolutions spontaneous actions of the people? Who gave Napoleon his power? The Industrial Revolution and the Renaissance: who provided the investment for them? I don't have any real evidence, but I believe that Doma was involved in all these elements of history. Now Doma is acting again, using the power of the Duel Monsters that I created. They seem to have some new evil plan."

I remembered Gurimo saying something similar to Pharaoh. _"'A great beast is now awakening from its ancient slumber to complete what it began centuries ago. But before this beast can arise, it must absorb enough souls.'"_

"You're our only hope," Pegasus told Pharaoh. "I've created an exclusive card just for you and hidden it somewhere in this room. I wanted to give you the card myself, but I'm sure you can find it."

A quick scan around the room later, Pharaoh pointed out the Pot of Greed figure by Tristan. "Pot of Greed is the only thing in the room not connected to Toon World!"

Tristan took the pot and reached inside, pulling out the card. "…Hey, it's completely blank!"

Kaiba scoffed. "Then it's worthless."

"I'm not sure about that," I murmured as I took the card. _"What did Shizuka say? 'Dark Magician Girl says I have to help you save the world from Dartz'. I wonder if it has to do with this card."_

"Yugi," said Pegasus, "only you can save the Duel Monsters." With that, the hologram flickered out.

"I can't believe this is happening," said Joey. "Why would Mai join a plot to destroy the world? They brainwashed her or something."

"Don't get too close to Doma," warned Kaiba. "I remember something Gozaburo once said: there must be some dark force behind the world's economy. I didn't think it was important at the time; I thought it was the nonsense of a coward. No matter how you struggle, these are not opponents you can deal with."

"It's hard to say," replied Pharaoh. "Maybe I can't touch a huge organization by myself, but…" he let his statement drift away as he pulled out the Eye of Timaeus.

Kaiba flinched when he saw the card. "Where did you get that?"

"The same place I got mine," answered Joey, pulling out the Claw of Hermos.

"You have one of them too, don't you?" I asked. Kaiba responded by pulling out the Fang of Critias. The cards all glowed, seemingly due to the presence of their others. "The power between them is incredible!"

"I believe the only way to prevail is to use these cards together," said Pharaoh. "Kaiba, please trust what's in your heart and join us. It's our destiny to defeat Doma, since we have the three cards."

I put my hand over my face, frustrated. _"I wish he didn't use the 'D' word. Now, Kaiba will go into this rant about not believing in destiny and magic, and it'll end with him telling us to sod off."_

"Get real," said Kaiba. "I'm the one who decides my fate."

Pharaoh growled. "Kaiba, be reasonable for once! We have to do this as a team."

"Sorry, I don't do the teamwork thing. I have a multimillion dollar company to run." With that, he started to walk away with Mokuba.

"Naturally," I said. "In that case, sayonara, aloha, piss off, hit the road, Au revoir, Auf Wiedersehen, hope the door hits you on the way out, kick rocks-"

"They're gone," Tristan pointed out.

"I know, but I like to point out how clever I am."

"Anyway, I agree with Loki," said Joey. "We don't need Kaiba weighing us down. With Hermos, those punks won't stand a chance."

I smiled. "Back to your old self again, I see; I'm glad. So, what's our next move? We don't know where Doma's lackeys went."

Duke shrugged. "We could chill out at my place and play a little Dungeon Dice Monsters," he offered.

"…Any _real_ suggestions?"

"I know," said Pharaoh. "Professor Hawkins lives around here; he might have some information that could help us. But how are we going to get there?"

Suddenly, we heard the roar of a jet engine, and saw Kaiba taking off in his Blue-Eyes Jet. "I'm guessing we won't be getting there by air."

"No problem," said Duke. "We'll take my car. The six of us should _just_ be able to fit."

"Wait a minute!" protested Weevil. "What about me and Rex?"

I crossed my arms. "What are you fools even doing here?" They nervously chuckled in response. "Well, I guess it'd be a bit of a faux pas if we were to just leave you stranded. Devlin, can we somehow make room for them?"

"Well, I guess." Basically, they ended riding in the open trunk with our luggage as we headed to the Professor's house.

**End Chapter**


	7. The Orichalcos Techerous Nature

**Shizuka's Eyes**

We were on our final approach to Venezuela when my sword began to glow again. I felt a strange, tingly warm feeling all over. I noticed Daisuke trembled a bit too. "Did you feel it too?" I asked.

Daisuke nodded. "That sudden flash of warmth was caused by the three dragons reuniting. Joey, Yugi and Kaiba must be within arm's reach of each other."

"The 'chosen ones', right?" asked Edward. "This is starting to sound like a story we've _all_ heard in one way or another."

"Don't be a smartass," snarled Daisuke. "Unless we complete this quest, the story of humanity is going to have an unpleasant ending, and very soon."

"I know, I know. But you have to have a sense of humor about this if you want to survive."

Al crossed his arms. "Since when have _you_ had a sense of humor about our search for the Philosopher's Stone?"

I shrugged. "It's easy. He can laugh at us because it doesn't affect him."

"Not true," stated Edward. "Loki's supposed to be this world's equivalent of me, right? That means I have an obligation to protect his friends, just like he's obligated to protect mine."

"Is that more of your 'equivalent exchange' talk?"

"Actually, no; it's just common courtesy." Suddenly, the ship began to tremble a bit. "What was that!?"

I looked over to the cabin. "Captain, what's going on?"

Kurt looked back from the cockpit. "We seem to be having a bit of engine trouble. I hope you obeyed the blinking signs and fastened your seatbelts."

We managed to land safely after two minutes, but it was very bumpy. As we all piled out Daisuke asked, "Now what?"

Kurt took a look at the engine and sighed. "Now we do a lot of walking."

"But this isn't a huge engine, is it?" I asked. "Can't we buy replacement parts?"

"Not easily. Japanese yen doesn't translate well in Bermuda dollars. The same goes for UK pounds, so you blew a lot of money renting a hotel room. We won't have much luck trying to repair the plane with spare change."

"Exchange rate," I muttered. "Ok. In that case, we'll have to do the repairs ourselves. Edward, can you use your alchemy to fix the engine?"

"Yeah, it shouldn't be too-"

"Hang on," said Kurt. "I want little Winry to have a shot at this, if she's such an impressive mechanic."

Winry studied the engine for a minute. "Ok, I'll see what I can do. You guys search for that sword thingy, and I'll deal with this."

"Ok," I answered. "Al, Edward, you stay here with the Captain while Daisuke and I will find the Sword of Wisdom."

I'd grow to wish that I asked Edward would accompany me; it was my trip to Angel Falls that would ultimately teach me how dangerous it was for a cute young lady in a foreign country.

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

It was night when we arrived at Hawkins' house, and we were all shocked to discover that it was completely burnt to the ground. "By the God Cards," I murmured.

We quickly hopped out of the car and started calling out to the Professor. After a minute, Rebecca walked over to us, completely devastated. "They…they took him!" Then she broke down and cried into Yugi's arms.

"What happened?" asked Yugi. We went into the Hawkins' motor home and sat down.

"It was Doma," determined Joey.

Tristan crossed his arms. "Why would they kidnap the Professor?"

"Maybe it has something to do with the ruins he found," suggested Duke.

"Rebecca," said Yugi, "do you still have the stone I gave to your Grandpa?" Rebecca nodded and fished it out of her shirt, handing it to Yugi.

"You think that's what Doma's after?" I asked.

"I think we should call the police," suggested Duke.

"No!" protested Rebecca. "That'll put my Grandpa in danger!"

Yugi nodded. "We have to be careful and observe our enemies first."

"He's right," I agreed. "Egging them on when they have the Professor under lock and key is a bad idea."

"Well, if we're going to wait," said Tristan, "I want something to eat."

"Do you mind if we use your kitchen?" asked Téa.

I stood up and stretched. "If you can do without me for a bit, I'm going outside to clear my head." With that, I sauntered outside. _"Why must life be so difficult? The only person who can help us has been captured by the bad guys, we have no idea what we're really dealing with, and I'm halfway across the globe from the girl I love." _I slumped against the side of the trailer, letting myself slide into a sitting position. _"I feel so alone, in spite of all the people around me: Yugi, Pharaoh, Joey, Téa, Tristan, Duke, and Rebecca. …Oh, and Rex and Weevil too. …Wait, where are those two?"_

I heard some sounds coming from the house and walked over to investigate. To my disgust, I found the has-been duelists rummaging through the ruins. "Hey, I found something!" said Rex. "…No, it's just a deck of playing cards."

"Keep looking!" instructed Weevil.

"There aren't any cards there, and if there were, they've burned up." I angrily kicked Rex in the backside to get his attention. "OW!"

"Up," I instructed. They quickly complied, as I was at least a head taller than both of them. "A little girl lost her home and her Grandpa on the same night, and you're rummaging through their belongings like a pair of scavengers. Did Yugi really restore your souls, or are they naturally this black?" I was pissed when I noticed they were looking past me, but it faded when I saw Yugi speaking with Rebecca privately. The three of us sneaked over so we could hear them better.

"Please save my Grandpa," pleaded Rebecca.

"I will," assured Yugi. Rebecca pulled a card out of her pocket. "What's that?"

"It came with a note to you," she said, handing Yugi a slip of paper. "It's by a man called Rafael, and it tells you to go to Death Valley alone."

"_One of Doma's boys,"_ I thought to myself.

"How far away is Death Valley from here?" asked Yugi.

"It's about an hour by car."

Yugi shook his head. "I have to go alone. I put you and your family in enough danger already."

"It's not your fault!"

"I'm the one they want, and you'll be safer here. Please don't tell the others where I'm going; I don't want them to follow me."

"_Not going to happen, Yugi,"_ I thought. _"I won't tell the others, but I'm certainly not going to let you wander off by yourself either."_ Pretending I just returned from a walk, I emerged from my hiding place and casually asked, "What's up, guys?"

They both turned around, startled. "Um…dinner's ready," answered Yugi.

"That's good." Turning to Rebecca I said, "No worries: we'll get your Grandpa back." After dinner, I claimed that I was going on another walk, claiming that I was too wound up to just fall asleep.

But as soon as I left the motor home, I broke into a magically-enhanced run to Death Valley. I knew that if I wanted to watch over Yugi, I'd have to get to the meeting place before he did. I was seriously stretching my powers to their limit, but I was able to run about 20 MPH with minimal effort; I'm sure I could've gone faster, but I figured this wasn't the time to experiment with my recently awakened powers.

As I ran, I sensed a huge power flux in the direction I was headed. I was extremely worried by it, as I sensed it was at least as powerful as mine, and guessed it was probably Rafael. When I arrived, I stopped running and slowly sneaked to the top of a mesa. I carefully peaked over the top and saw Rafael standing there. I was relieved after I scanned his aura and discovered he wasn't the source of the energy flux…

…until I scanned his deck, and saw an aura from his cards_. "But how? Cards aren't supposed to emit an aura; only things with souls can do that. Just what kind of force is Yugi up against?"_ When I sensed the Pharaoh's presence, I crouched behind a rock, and watched as the Pharaoh rode past me on a horse. He rode down the opposite side of the mesa and dismounted, walking across a suspension bridge that led to where the mesa on which Rafael stood.

"While my associates are satisfied with stealing the souls of your friends, _I'm_ not," said Rafael as I sneaked to the edge of my mesa to spy on them.

"I kept my part of the bargain," said Pharaoh after he crossed the bridge. "Now you must release the Professor."

"He's already been set free. But since you've come all this way, you might as well stay awhile." Rafael tossed off his coat and picked up a pair of axes, throwing them past Pharaoh and cutting down the bridge. "We don't need any paths of escape from our duel. As a True Duelist, I feel honored to duel you."

"How can you be a True Duelist?" challenged Pharaoh. "If you were a True Duelist, you wouldn't use the monsters in an evil way."

"If I'm evil, what is your justice? We each walk on the road we believe in, and have our own justice in mind. Which direction does Doma go; justice or evil? Only history will tell. All we can do at the moment is bet on our own justice."

I felt angry that he believed the same things I believed in. _"Such an infuriating situation: Pharaoh's opponent is actually a True Duelist. Does that mean a True Duelist can really be on the wrong side?" _As they readied their Duel Disks, the sun rose.

4000/4000

"I'll start by playing the spell, Guardian Treasure!" declared Rafael. "It allows me to draw two new cards after I discard the five already in my hand. In addition, it allows me to draw two cards every Draw Phase." Once Rafael drew his two cards he added, "Then I'll set a monster and one facedown card. I end my turn."

"_It's only the first move, and he now has nothing left in his hand,"_ I thought. _"He must have a lot of faith in his draw."_

"My turn," said Pharaoh. "I play Polymerization, fusing Berfomet (1400/1800) and Gazelle, King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200) in my hand to create Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast (2100/1800)! I attack your facedown monster!" Unfortunately, it turned out to be Backup Gardna (500/2200).

3900/4000

"It's my move," said Rafael, as Guardian Treasure let him draw two cards. "I equip my monster with Gravity Axe, raising his attack points by 500! And since it's the only card in my hand, and Gravity Axe is on the field, I can special summon my Guardian Grarl (2500/1000)! And now I use the effect of Backup Gardna, letting me transfer his equip spell to Grarl! Grarl, destroy his Chimera!"

3000/4000

"You've triggered the effect of Chimera," said Pharaoh. "Chimera's effect allows Berfomet to return to the field in attack mode when it's destroyed!"

"My deck is a Guardian Deck," explained Rafael. "Each of my monsters will risk their lives to protect me, and I'll protect them, too. You could never understand the connection I have with my cards."

"You're mistaken!" argued Pharaoh. "I also share a bond with my deck, trusting and respecting every one of my cards!"

"Really? Take a close look at my monsters," he said as he took them off his Disk.

Pharaoh flinched. "The card pictures are nearly worn out!"

"I played them hundreds of times. Even though they're falling apart, I'll never replace them. I've sworn to protect them the way they've protected me. I replaced the backs of these cards so they won't be recognizable when face down. When I was a kid, I was fooled into thinking that the world was a happy place, but then I discovered the truth: nothing's fair, and no one gets what they deserve."

"That's pretty sad."

"Ever since I heard of you, I had a strange feeling about you. We're both men who've been used by fate. I remember…when I was a boy, I was on a cruise ship; that night I was given the Guardian Eatos card as a present. Shortly after, I felt a rumble, and I discovered we were headed straight for a tidal wave. My little brother and sister were swept away…that was the last time I saw my family."

"_Poor Rafael,"_ I thought, a tear falling from my eye.

"The accident happened so suddenly, fate took everything from me in one moment. I knew I had two choices: sit around and feel sorry for myself, or toughen up and move on. If I wanted to survive, there was no time for weakness. I thought that since I was alive, maybe my family was, too. I lived on the island alone, but with hope. Could you live for three years without talking to anyone, in complete isolation?"

Rafael glanced back Guardian Grarl. "My cards kept me strong and sane, and I owe it to them to save them. We share a powerful bond. Guardian Eatos, Guardian Grarl, and Guardian Kay'est saw me through the hardest years of my life, and they continue to protect me."

"But if you truly respect your cards," argued Pharaoh, "why do you use them for evil?"

"Human beings can't resist their fate, and I've seen fate in person. Three years after I was trapped, I saw an island with a city, and paddled towards it on a raft. But it sank about halfway and I was pulled under. I heard a voice tell me, 'Come back to me when you see everything clearly'. When I regained my senses, I was rescued by a ship. I came back to the world like a miracle, but I felt only despair. I couldn't find any trace of my family. Relatives had taken my father's fortune, and earned fame from my reputation. How could I survive in such a world? Why has your soul been revived after thousands of years? Why did my family disappear in a moment? Why am I alone in a world full of murderous feelings?"

"…"

"You can't answer my questions; there's only one way to answer fate. I eventually saw the city again, and that same voice from before asked if I wanted to know why I was left alone in the world. I agreed, and he formed a bridge and beckoned me saying, 'come, and I'll guide you'. You have to accept your fate if you want to know the answer. Just look carefully where fate will lead."

"Are you a man who fights his own fate?" asked Pharaoh.

"Our fate will allow only one of us to survive."

"I don't want to disappear!"

"I don't either!"

To my surprise, Rex and Weevil passed me atop the mesa, riding a bicycle built for two past me and crashing at the bottom. _"Those twerps followed me. Well, I suppose I might as well take a closer look myself,"_ I thought as I slid down after them.

"It's my move," declared Pharaoh. "I play the spell, Five-Star Twilight! Since I have a level 5 monster on my field, I get to sacrifice him to summon the five Kuriboh Brothers (300/200)!" Five differently-colored Kuriboh monsters stood in a row on Pharaoh's field.

Rafael scoffed. "I've seen cats cough up scarier things."

"Looks can be deceiving. Kuribohs, combine to form Kuribabylon (1500/1000)! Next, I play Pump Up, doubling my monster's attack points this turn. Kuribabylon, attack his Grarl!"

"I don't think so! I activate Rescuer from the Grave," he declared as a card popped out of his graveyard. "It's activated by removing five cards in the graveyard from play."

"That's why you discarded your hand at the start!" realized Pharaoh.

"And its effect repels your monster's attack!" The Kuribabylon bounced off an invisible shield and turned back into the five Kuribohs. "It's my move. I place two cards facedown, and activate my facedown card, Purity of the Cemetery! It inflicts 100 points of damage to you each turn for every monster in your graveyard, and remains in play as long as there are no monsters in my graveyard. And one more thing: I have no intention of playing my Seal of Orichalcos magic card."

"What?" Pharaoh and I asked, but I was quiet enough not to be heard by either of them.

"But your fate is still sealed, and you'll lose your soul by your own doing. Grarl, attack his Kuriboh!"

"I activate their special effect: star defense!" All the Kuribohs crouched behind a star. "It negates an attack from any monster with over 2000 attack points."

"I underestimated your lovely servants."

"Victory still hangs in the balance," muttered Weevil.

"Yeah, but Rafael still has the Seal of Orichalcos card," pointed out Rex. "The question is when he'll use it."

I shook my head. "No, the question is _if_ he'll use it. And what exactly did he mean by Pharaoh – I mean, Yugi – losing his soul by his own doing?"

"I draw," said Pharaoh, and he took a hit from Purity of the Cemetery.

2700/4000

"I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards. Then, I remerge my monsters into Kuribabylon. Next, I sacrifice my monster to summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)!"

"_I see,"_ I thought. _"The five Kuribohs were monster tokens, meaning they couldn't be sacrificed. But when they become Kuribabylon, they count as a real monster."_

"And now, I bring forth the Eye of Timaeus!" As the Legendary dragon emerged he declared, "And now I fuse him with Dark Magician Girl to create…Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight (2600/2000)!"

"Humph!" grunted Rex. "Yugi always pulls the card he needs at the last second! That never works for guys like us."

I raised my eyebrow. "That's because you have the combined souls of an amoeba."

"And now," said Pharaoh, "I use my monster's effect, letting me discard a card to destroy your Grarl!"

"Never! I play my facedown card, Self Tribute! It lets me pay 1000 lifepoints to save my monster from destruction."

2700/3000

"You really meant it when you said you'd do anything to protect your monsters," admired Pharaoh.

"You can't defeat me, because Doma has a strength that you don't have: it's the strength to admit the darkness of the heart. Darkness exists inside one's heart, just as light does. If the world is in balance, light and darkness exist on both sides. If you're bound to the heart's light, Doma is bound to the heart's darkness. Darkness always surpasses the light. It lies in the depths of despair, so deep that it's impossible to find; Doma's sorrow and despair is deeper than any other's."

I put my fist over my heart. _"Darkness deeper than mine? Unlikely."_

"You're wrong!" protested Pharaoh. "Revenge and destruction…what will become of the world if that's all there is? There would be nothing but vanity."

"You're right. I think only vanity will exist if we can't insist. But…what will it be if vanity _doesn't_ exist, then? I'll tell you the real purpose of Doma: it's to set human history back to zero!"

Pharaoh gasped, and frankly, I couldn't blame him. _"Is he for real? He wants to erase all human progress? That's thousands of years of history down the drain!"_

"Doma is an observer of history; an organization that has been set up since history began. Doma has always guided the way people should take. Sometimes Doma would give a push to human civilization, and sometimes it would guide history by unjust means. People who disobey Doma don't understand; they just repeat history. The reason people have wisdom is that they have a responsibility to protect the planet."

"People are guardians?"

"They are, but look around. Human beings, stained with selfish desire, are destroying the world. Human beings will destroy the planet, so Doma has adjusted its goal. Doma will no longer guide human history, but _reset_ history!"

"NONSENSE!" I snapped, rising up, not bothering to conceal myself. "Will you make judgments at your will!?"

Rafael shrugged. "It's not my judgment, but the judgment of the Lord of Doma, who managed and gave paradise to the world." Turning back to the Pharaoh he said, "There must be darkness in your mind. Have you ever wondered what kind of king you really were in the past? What have you done with extreme power and strength? Can you say that you were a good king?"

"What? …I don't believe it. No darkness has ever stayed in my heart."

"Then prove it with the light in your heart," challenged Rafael. "It's my move. I set one card, and activate Exchange, letting us each take a card from the other's hand. Since we each only hold one card, we simply switch." As they walked over to each other, I felt a familiar presence. And I realized exactly what card the Pharaoh was about to receive.

Rafael looked at the card he received. "Necromancy: a spell that allows a player to use a monster from the other's graveyard. It was useless to you anyway, since I have no monsters in my graveyard."

Pharaoh looked at the card he received and was completely shocked. "The Seal of Orichalcos! I can't use this card!"

"You must understand the power of this card. One who doesn't have a determined heart shouldn't use it, or he'll become a prisoner of the darkness of the heart. A strong duelist like you should be able to use it well. If you deny the darkness in your heart, prove it by using this card well."

"Pharaoh, ignore him!" I instructed. "Don't make the same mistake I did. That thing can turn even the most honorable duelist into a monster." As I spoke, I felt the Sorcerer Loki's words whisper in my head. _"Or awaken a sleeping monster."_

Pharaoh nodded in agreement. He drew, and was hit by Purity of the Cemetery.

2200/3000

"Dragon Knight, destroy his Grarl!"

"I activate my trap, Crystal Prison! It prevents your monster from attacking, switching its mode, activating its effect, and defending your lifepoints. But my trap will be destroyed if the imprisoned monster's attack points change."

"_He's baiting the Pharaoh,"_ I realized. _"They both know that the Orichalcos raises the user's monsters' attack points."_

"I'll set a monster in defense mode," said Pharaoh. "I end my turn."

"I know you want to play the card," said Rafael as he drew. "I see it in your eyes. I equip my Backup Gardna with Rod of Silence, raising his defense points by 500. Plus, it lets me play Guardian Kay'est (1000/1800) in attack mode! Grarl, destroy his facedown monster!" Once Pharaoh's Big Shield Gardna (100/2600) was destroyed, "Kay'est, attack directly!"

1200/3000

"This duel is done. Whatever happens, you'll lose on his next turn." Pharaoh drew, and was hit by Purity of the Cemetery.

600/3000

"There's only one way you can win: play the card."

"If I lose now, two worlds will be destroyed. I won't lose! I play Card of Sanctity, causing both of us to draw until we have six cards in our hands." Pharaoh grimly studied his cards. Closing his eyes, he held a card aloft.

To my horror, I realized what he was about to do. "Pharaoh! NO!"

I saw the spirit Yugi clutching Pharaoh's arm. "You don't know what you're doing! The card is affecting your mind!"

"Let go, Yugi! We're going to lose the duel! Trust me: this is the only way."

"Don't do it!" I screamed.

But Yugi and my pleas fell on deaf ears. "I play…the Seal of Orichalcos!" I watched as Yugi disappeared, and as the Pharaoh's familiar aura became wicked. The Seal displayed on Pharaoh's forehead, he said, "Now my Dragon Knight's points are increased by 500, freeing it from your trap." Suddenly, Timaeus was destroyed, leaving the Dark Magician Girl in its place. "What have you done, Rafael!?"

"The power of Orichalcos is from darkness, and the Legendary Dragons are from light."

"What have I unleashed?" Suddenly, I felt Pharaoh's dark energy spike. "I still have the ability to summon ten monsters, which will be powered up by the Seal of Orichalcos. I can just fight using this power, even if it _was_ a trap. I play the spell, Hand Control! If I can correctly guess the name of a card in your hand, I can activate it. And since I gave you the Necromancy card, I know it's in your hand."

After its effect resolved, Pharaoh got back Big Shield Gardna, Berfomet, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, and Kuribabylon. "Now, I sacrifice my Berfomet and Gazelle to summon Dark Magician (2500/2100)! Then, I separate my Kuribabylon into the five Kuriboh brothers! Now, my monsters, feel the power of the Orichalcos!"

With the magic surging through the monsters, they were much stronger, but they became twisted shadows their former selves. _"Dark Magician Girl…Mana…what has he done to you?"_

"And now that my Kuribohs have 800 attack points apiece, I recombine them into Kuribabylon!" This time, his monster had an unbelievable 4500 attack points due to the combined attack of the monsters that made it up, as well as an extra 500!

"Incredible!" admired Rex. "Yugi was able to summon so many powerful monsters all at once!"

"That Seal of Orichalcos is a very powerful card," agreed Weevil.

Pharaoh grinned. "It's all thanks to the power of the Orichalcos."

"Wrong," answered Rafael. "The power comes from the darkness in you."

"I don't care where this power came from. All that matters is it's mine now! Kuribabylon, crush his Grarl!"

600/1500

The added effect was that since Rafael now had a monster in the graveyard, Purity of the Cemetery was destroyed. "I'm not done yet! Dark Magician, attack directly!"

"I play my facedown card, Aid to the Doomed! It allows me to repel Dark Magician's attack by discarding two cards."

Suddenly, I heard the screech of a car's breaks, and looked to the top of the mesa. Joey, Tristan and Duke ran to the edge and called out to Pharaoh, but were shocked to discover the Seal on his head.

"You're too late," I sadly reported as they slid down.

"What's going on!?" demanded Joey. "Why does my best buddy have that freaky thing on his head?"

"He played the Seal of Orichalcos."

"He wouldn't do that! He knows that card is evil!"

"I did too, but it didn't stop me."

Pharaoh laughed mockingly. "You didn't believe I could use Orichalcos so well, did you? But you're wrong, and you'll regret giving the Orichalcos card to me."

"You're pretty good to have used the power of Orichalcos so well in only one turn. Monsters, lend me some power." As Rafael drew his two cards he said, "I play Monster Rebirth, allowing me to take a monster from my graveyard and place it in my deck. I choose Guardian Grarl!"

"You won't let any of your monsters stay in the graveyard."

"Now I'll set a card, and play Swords of Revealing Light, which stops you from attacking for three turns."

"Yugi's attacks are sealed for three turns," muttered Weevil.

Rex nodded. "Rafael has been exhausted, and has to survive Yugi's attacks with all his efforts."

Joey sadly watched the duel. "Yugi…"

"Your swords mean nothing," sneered Pharaoh. "I sacrifice Big Shield Gardna to summon Catapult Turtle (1000/2000)! Its effect allows me to sacrifice a monster to inflict direct damage equal to half the sacrificed monster's attack points. Since it's not an attack, it can be used despite the Swords of Revealing Light."

"Then I play my trap, Limit Tribute! It limits each player to sacrificing one monster per turn. And unfortunately for you, you already sacrificed one to summon Catapult Turtle."

"Grr…then I end my turn."

"Then I draw, and I play Nightmare Binding! It takes 800 attack points from your Kuribabylon, and increases my lifepoints by 800."

600/2300

"Furthermore, now you can't sacrifice your Kuribabylon."

"No matter. With the power of Orichalcos behind me, I can't be stopped. And now, I'll sacrifice my Dark Magician for the effect of Catapult Turtle!"

600/800

"And since Dark Magician's in the graveyard, the effect of Dark Magician Girl increases her attack points by 300."

"Why, Yugi?" murmured Joey.

"It's the Orichalcos taint," I answered. "He no longer cares about his monsters: only his own desires."

"Rafael," said Pharaoh, "you're just about to lose the duel, and your soul. One more blast from Catapult Turtle and it's over."

Once Rafael drew he said, "I'll set one card and end my turn."

"In that case, it's time to finish you," he said, glancing at the Dark Magician Girl.

"No, not that one!" I begged.

"I sacrifice Dark Magician Girl for Catapult Turtle!"

"I play Shrink!" declared Rafael. "It cuts your monster's attack points in half before you sacrifice it!"

600/100

"You'll never escape the Seal," said Pharaoh. "Your Swords of Revealing Light spell has expired, so there's nothing left to stop me from winning."

Duke put his hands on his hips. "It looks like Yugi's got this duel in the bag."

"Nice dueling, Yugi!" cheered Tristan.

I glared at them. "Have you lost your minds?"

"That's not Yugi," agreed Joey. "A True Duelist wouldn't sacrifice his monsters one by one for victory like that."

Rafael laughed. "I knew the Seal would reveal the truth. This is you: wicked, greedy, and full of hate. The power of the Orichalcos reveals all, and just as I expected, you're evil. You're trapped by your need to win."

"What did you say!?" demanded Pharaoh.

"Look around the field at what you've done to your monsters. Once they were pure, but now they're evil shadow creatures."

Pharaoh looked around, horrified. It seemed at last the fog lifted, and he finally realized the extent of his actions. When a person commits evil, it's the people around who truly suffer. "You…you deceived me!"

"_You_ chose to play the Seal of Orichalcos, even at the cost of losing Timaeus. Too bad for you, because he was the only one of your monsters that I feared." Rafael drew. "…The time has come. I equip my Backup Gardna with Celestial Sword! And that lets me bring forth my greatest monster: Guardian Eatos (2500/1900)!" As it descended from the sky, I felt a new aura, and realized that it was the source of the energy flux in Rafael's deck I sensed earlier.

As Eatos picked up the Celestial Sword, Rafael said, "I activate her special effect: when she's summoned, I can remove all monsters in your graveyard from the game and add their original attack points to Eatos this turn!" The spirits of Yugi's monsters appeared beside Eatos, looking mournfully at their master. "YOU did this to your monsters, by selfishly sacrificing them, and letting your rage take over! Look into the eyes of your monsters!"

Pharaoh fell to his knees and cried, "Don't look at me like that!" The monsters were drawn into Celestial Sword, and Eatos' attack points became 10,000. She promptly attacked, finishing the Pharaoh.

0/100

"YUGI!" we cried out.

Rafael walked over to the defeated Pharaoh, now the only one trapped by the Orichalcos effect. "You sealed your own fate when you played that card. Now your life force will awaken the great beast." A second later, Pharaoh collapsed. We watched helplessly as Rafael took back the Orichalcos card, as well as the green stone Pharaoh got from Rebecca.

A helicopter flew up with a rope ladder, and Rafael scooped up Pharaoh and grabbed onto the rope ladder. They flew over us and dropped the Pharaoh's body, which I promptly caught. "Joey, I'll be coming for your soul next." With that, they flew away.

I felt a sinking as I held the Pharaoh: something was definitely missing, which was there before the duel. But I knew the Pharaoh still had his soul, because I could sense his aura. I gently placed him down. _"What is it? Why can't I…"_ Then I realized that the Orichalcos _did_ claim a soul. "No…not him!"

Pharaoh opened his eyes, shocked. "Yugi!" cheered Joey. "I knew you would outsmart that goon! How did you do it?" Pharaoh silently rose to his feet. "…Are you alright?"

"No, Joey," sobbed Pharaoh. "It's far from all right. …I didn't outsmart Rafael. Rafael succeeded…Yugi is gone!"

"What do you mean? How could you be talking to us if Rafael took your soul?"

"Not _his_ soul, Joey," I angrily explained. "Yugi's."

Pharaoh fell to his knees and cried, "Partner! PARTNER!"

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

By the time we arrived at the top of the Angel Falls, I was huffing and puffing like crazy. "I don't believe you," I snarled. "Even a dead person should've been tired by the hike."

Daisuke simply shrugged. "What can I say? I chose a very durable body to occupy." Daisuke scanned the area for a brief minute. "…Yes, I recognize this place, now. It's over there," he said, pointing to a slightly narrow section of the river leading over the falls.

After we wandered over to that particular section, the stone in my compass began to spin. "Looks like you were right." I pulled out my two swords and stated, "'With this Sword of Justice, I shall make sure everyone gets what they deserve in the end.' And 'With this Sword of Renewal, I shall take ashes of the vanquished and help build a better world.'"

The Sword of Wisdom materialized above the lake in a blue sheath. It flew over to dry land in our direction. Daisuke took the sword by the hilt, and Sir Critias appeared, sporting blue armor and Kaiba's face. "It's been a while, Daisuke," he said. "Though you are a valiant warrior, I still must test you to see if you're worthy of this sword."

"Naturally," said Daisuke as he raised his crest. "Let's go!"

4000/4000

"I'll place one card facedown, and summon Drillroid (1600/1600) I end my turn."

"Very well. I summon Dark Blade (1800/1500) and infuse his sword with Call of the Haunted! I attack your monster!"

"Not so. I play Gravity Bind, preventing any monsters that are level 4 or higher from attacking!"

"In that case, I'll end my turn."

"Now, I play Graceful Charity. Then, I summon Cannon Soldier (1400/1300), and use his special effect to sacrifice my Drillroid to inflict 500 points of damage!"

4000/3500

"Turn end."

I rubbed my chin._ "I thought he was going to go for the Chimeratech Overdragon fusion again, but he keeps sending cards to the graveyard."_

"My turn," said Critias. "I summon Warrior of Zera (1600/1600), and give his blade the power of Dimension Wall! Make your move."

"As you wish. Now, I summon Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive (1400/1000), and sacrifice it for Cannon Soldier's effect."

4000/3000

"Then, I'll activate Overload Fusion, letting me fuse monsters in my graveyard and field. So, I fuse my five monsters into Chimeratech Overdragon (4000/4000)! By summoning it, all other cards on my field are destroyed, including Gravity Bind. Since there are five monsters involved in its fusion, it has 4000 attack points and can attack 5 times in a turn. I destroy your Dark Blade!"

4000/800

"Since you fused your Dark Blade with Call of the Haunted, it comes back, letting me attack it a second time!"

4000/0

Critias nodded. "You've grown quite powerful over the millennia. You're worthy of my sword." With that, he vanished.

Daisuke pulled the sword out of its sheath and examined it. "It's a dream come true! I've held this sword before, but only so I could hand it to him. And now…" A tear fell from his eye. "I've got something in my eye!"

"_He's devoted to his duty,"_ I thought. _"I respect that."_

Once Daisuke composed himself he said, "Let's head back to the plane. Our quest is nearly complete."

"Wrong!" said Kurt as he walked towards us, holding the end of a rope. "Actually, your quest ends here."

I clenched my fists. "So, _you_ were the traitor the whole time. I knew there was a spy among us when Edward helpfully pointed out that Dartz knew the locations of the Swords at the same time we discovered them. But why would you do it?"

"I _could_ explain it to you, brat. Or, I could just skip to the end." He tugged the rope, and we discovered that Winry was tied to the other end, gagged with a cloth. "Throw your Swords over the falls, or _I_ throw _her_ over the falls."

"He's not bluffing," confirmed Daisuke. "Alright, then. On three, you send Winry over here, and we pitch the Swords."

I frowned. "We're giving up _that_ easily?"

Ignoring my question he asked, "Got it? On three."

Kurt grinned. "Fine, on three. But no sneaky holding onto the swords after three, because I can easily pull her back my way."

"Of course. One…two…three!" Daisuke and I tossed the Swords off the waterfall, and Kurt shoved Winry over to us. Daisuke protectively put his arm around her and said, "Now, explain your treacherous actions."

"It's easy when you think about it. Tell me; if you knew a hundred-foot wall was going to topple over, which side would _you_ be on?"

"It didn't occur to you that I could make it topple the other way?" I asked.

"Please! You may be a talented duelist, but you're still just a frail girl."

Daisuke winked. "That may be. It's a good thing I have intelligence to back her up." Suddenly, the Sword of Wisdom appeared in his hands, and the other two swords appeared in mine. Kurt quickly tried to pull the rope back, but Daisuke cut Winry free before she was pulled away.

"Damn you!" snapped Kurt. "You tricked me!"

"Turnaround is fair play," I countered. "Perhaps you should've realized that the Legendary Swords are bound to us, and can't simply be discarded."

When Winry finally ungagged – is that even a word? – herself she said, "Careful! He knocked out both of my friends!"

"But _they_ didn't see it coming," pointed out Daisuke as he held his sword in the en garde position.

I placed my arm in front of him. "Hold it. I want to settle this nonviolently." I activated my Duel Disk. "Let's go. Loki-Sensei's deck will bring you to justice."

Kurt grinned. "So, it's gonna be like that, huh? It works for me. Before I die, I'll take you with me, and you won't be able to finish your quest."

4000/4000

"I'll start, and I summon Master Kyonshee (1750/1000)! Then, I'll play Call of the Mummy, letting me special summon a zombie from my hand when I have no monsters on the field. Finally, I play the Seal of Orichalcos!" Once again, I was trapped in its boundaries, but now I wasn't as worried as I normally was. "I end my turn."

"I'm not impressed. I summon Tsukuyomi (1100/1400), and trigger her special effect to flip your monster facedown. Then I play Nobleman of Crossout to remove your monster from the game. Tsukuyomi attacks you directly!"

4000/2900

"If I'm 'just a frail girl,' shouldn't you have beaten me by now? I'll set one card and end my turn. Because my monster is a spirit, it returns to my hand."

"Brat," he snarled. "I'm bigger, so I can smack you a lot harder."

"Nice logic."

"I use the special effect of Call of the Mummy to special summon Vampire Lord (2000/1500), and sacrifice it to summon Vampire Genesis (3000/2100)! Thanks to the seal, it has 3500 attack points! I attack directly!"

I sadly shook my head. "Why do you fools insist on walking into my traps? I play Sakuretsu Armor, which wipes out your monster. That's one vampire that won't be coming back from the dead."

"…I end my turn."

As I drew I asked, "What was going through your mind when you decided to join with Dartz? I trained under the Selkirk Rex, you idiot! I have three generations of techniques in my mind, and you're making amateur mistakes. Did you honestly think you'd be able to stand against me when the time came?"

"The Seal of Orichalcos gives me power," he answered.

"Unless it has the power to save you this turn, you picked the wrong side. I summon Spear Dragon (1900/0) and equip it with the Ax of Despair. I attack you directly!"

4000/0

"Thou art justly slain by thine own treachery," I declared as the seal closed in on him. "In other words…YOU'RE FIRED!"

"You lose anyway! Without me, you have nobody that can fly an airplane. You've slit your own throat!" he screamed before his soul was gone. He collapsed in the dirt.

I sighed. "Why must quests be so complicated?"

A second later, the Elric brothers came running down the path we took. Edward yelled out, "Look out! Kurt's a traitor and he…" Then he saw Kurt lying on the ground. "…Never mind."

"Kurt made a point," said Winry, walking over to his body. "We don't know how to fly a plane, so we're going to have to hire someone else to get us around."

"With what money?"

Winry pulled out Kurt's wallet. "Let's just say that he's feeling very generous at the moment."

**End Chapter**


	8. Departure, Derailment, and Destruction

**Loki's Eyes**

It was a grim ride back to the motor home. None of us had the nerve to say anything. Once we got back, Pharaoh dismounted from Rebecca's horse, and the rest of us climbed out of the car.

Téa and Rebecca looked up happily, completely oblivious to what happened. "Yugi, you're back!" called Téa, when she saw the Pharaoh. "I believed you'd win." But then they saw our faces, and realized something was horribly wrong.

"It's not at all what you think," said Joey.

"That's right," said Duke. "Yugi didn't win. He's gone."

"I can't believe it! If Yugi had lost that duel, those creeps would have taken Yugi's soul with their spell card. If he's lost, how could he be standing…?" Then Téa's expression fell to despair when she realized the truth.

Rebecca shook her head. "No, it's a lie! Pharaoh, change with my darling!"

Pharaoh turned, unable to face her. "Rebecca, I'm sorry. Partner…my partner became my substitute."

Rebecca trembled in fury. "Why…didn't you stay inside darling's body later? Why would _you_ stay, while the soul of my darling disappeared!? It's all your fault!" she screamed, pounding his chest. "Give my Yugi back to me!"

"Rebecca!" called Téa. "Please, don't-"

"Rebecca is right," admitted Pharaoh. "I let everyone down; especially Yugi, who warned me not to use the Orichalcos card. But I let my rage take control, and Yugi paid for my mistake."

"Shut up!" snapped Joey, punching Pharaoh in the face. "We still have a chance to get the other Yugi back. What will we do if you can't pull yourself together? Where's your honor as the King of Duelists!?"

I put my hand on Joey's arm. "Please…no more yelling. No more rage. No more hatred. That's what got us into this mess in the first place. We have absolutely no way to win if we fight hatred with more hatred."

Duke shook his head. "We have no way of defeating Doma's Swordsman anyway!" Tristan angrily put him in a headlock.

"Stop!" said Pharaoh as he rose to his feet. "They're both right. The way we're fighting now, we have no chance of defeating Doma. But while we may not know the means to defeat them, we know that using more anger will only make things worse."

Later on, we moved our powwow to the inside of the motor home. "Is the purpose of Doma really to clean out human history?" asked Joey after I brought everyone up to speed.

"That's what Rafael said," replied Pharaoh.

"That would be too difficult," stated Tristan.

I raised my eyebrow. "It must be lovely to have such an empty head. But in spite of your blissful ignorance, Doma can do it. We've already seen Doma's method."

"That eye in the sky," mumbled Téa.

"Correct. And don't forget the agenda of the Doma: to collect souls to feed to the so-called great beast."

"We can't fight it by ourselves. We need help!"

Rebecca shook her head. "Those guys burned down my grandfather's laboratory and destroyed all his research, and without evidence, no one will believe our story."

"But we do have some proof: down in the underwater ruins!"

Rebecca opened her laptop and showed us a live feed of the location of the ruins. "…The underwater ruins seem to have disappeared," I noted. "It's just as well. Nobody in their right mind would believe our story even _with_ evidence. Hell, there are people who _still_ don't believe the lunar landing occurred."

Professor Hawkins stepped in – which surprised me until I remembered that Rafael said he released him – and said, "I couldn't sleep because I heard Rebecca crying, and I overheard what you were saying."

Pharaoh looked up. "Have you discovered anything more about these thugs?"

"There's a good chance these men are descendants of Atlantis."

Duke frowned. "But Atlantis is just a legend."

"It's _not_ just a legend. The inscriptions I found under the sea were a history of Atlantis. Thousands of years ago, Atlantis was home to the most advanced civilization the world had ever known. Everyone lived in peace, until one day a dreadful creature was called forth from the depths of the earth by an evil king." I noted Pharaoh's look of worry, and knew it was because of Rafael accusing him of being an evil king. "That king drew his strength from a mysterious stone, and the stone drew its strength from another world."

"Is the stone that rock they wear around their necks?" asked Joey.

"I'm not sure. That's all I was able to translate."

Joey banged on the table. "These guys are trying to cover up something about their ancient mega-monster!"

I nodded. "It makes sense. The destruction of the Professor's house and the ruins means that there's something they don't want us to know. Maybe there was something in those ruins about how to destroy the monster."

"I agree," said Hawkins. "But even though the ruins were destroyed, there are copies of the inscriptions at a museum in Florida, where I was doing my research."

"I see!" said Téa. "All we have to do is go there and translate the rest!"

"Oh, that's all?" I asked sarcastically. "Just one question: how are we gonna get there? It's over 1600 miles between here and Florida."

Tristan sighed. "I hate to suggest this, but…we _could_ ask Kaiba to give us a ride. He's only a state over, and we all hate Doma."

"That idea doesn't totally suck," I admired. "Rebecca, could you look up the number of his California office?"

And so Rebecca set up her webcam and contacted Kaiba's computer. Joey sat down and put his face right in front of the webcam. A second later, the images of Kaiba and Mokuba appeared. "I can't believe you actually took our call!" said Joey.

Mokuba frowned. "It works better if you step back from the webcam."

Joey moved back a bit. "Yeah, that's better."

"What is it, Wheeler?" asked Kaiba. It was clear he was irritated, but I had the feeling it was the Doma situation that was getting to him instead of us. For a change.

"I found some clues about those biker punks, but I'm not giving them up that easily. If you'll give us a lift to Florida, I'll fill you in on the way. And we gotta hurry, because those creeps defeated Yugi and took his soul-" I instinctively put my hand over Joey's mouth, but it was too late.

"What do you mean, 'Yugi lost his soul'?" asked Mokuba. "He's standing right there."

"Pay him no mind!" I said worriedly. "We just…we watched several shows translated by 4Kids, and he now occasionally spouts nonsense. Go figure!"

Joey pushed me away and agreed, "Yeah, forget what I just said!" I grew increasingly worried as I saw Kaiba's eye begin to twitch. I swore he was about to blow. Unfortunately, I was right.

"WHAT!?" screamed Kaiba as he shot up. "Yugi LOOOOST!? Yugi gave his Duel Monsters Championship crown to some nobody!? Nobody deserves that title but me!"

Pharaoh held his hand forward. "Hold on-"

"YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THE GAME!" And with that, Kaiba terminated the connection.

I sighed. "Joey? If the world is destroyed simply because Kaiba wouldn't give us a lift, would you be annoyed if I blamed you?"

"Sorry," moaned Joey. He stood up and said, "Professor, you stay here while the rest of us grab the next flight."

Rebecca nodded. "You're right. Traveling around the country's not the best thing for my grandfather right now."

"Duke, catch up with us after the professor recovers."

Sitting down at the computer, Rebecca said, "I'll book your flights and you can take a train to the airport."

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

"I can't believe he betrayed us," Winry repeated for the umpteenth time. This was several hours later, sitting by the fire that cooked the fish that Al caught. I made the fire myself, using an of the alchemy tricks Ed taught me. I made a spark, used a Transmutation Circle to change the density of the air to increase the flame.

However, I made a few mistakes along the way, like having it blow up in my face. But the plus side was that it did wonders for my complexion.

"Well, he did," I replied. "What's done is done. He got what was coming to him."

"Do you really think that?" asked Al. "He was your friend."

"I just thought he was a loyal employee. I haven't known him long enough to consider him anything beyond my ally." I smiled a little. "That's why it doesn't hurt so much."

Daisuke cleared his throat to get our attention. "Now that we have the three sacred swords, we have to perform one final ritual. We must take these swords to the altar of the Atlantis knights."

I frowned when he stopped talking there. "Anything else?"

"No, sorry," replied Daisuke. "That was all Dark Magician Girl told me, apart from 'the rest will become clear to you'."

"_That's_ helpful," muttered Edward. "Would it kill someone to make a set of written instructions?"

"What? Who would make written instructions in preparation for an unprecedented disaster? 'In the event of Dartz appearing with intent to destroy humanity, find a descendant of one of the three Atlantis knights. Then, with the assistance of said descendant, proceed to the swords belonging to the three-'"

"Ok, I get it!" interrupted Edward. "We don't need a complete recap of everything we've been through. It was bad enough experiencing it the first time around."

"It could've been worse," I offered. "I could've just as easily let you play that Orichalcos card, and you'd have lost your soul. As it is, we're all fine, and not a scratch on any of us."

Daisuke nodded. "What's that old saying? You can see the glass as half empty, or half full."

"I heard something similar. 'You can cry because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses'."

"That's exactly what I just said, except more flowery. No pun intended."

"I wonder," muttered Al. "If you can rejoice, are you able to joice?"

"There's no such word."

Al shrunk a bit. "I know. I just haven't said anything for a while."

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

"We'll leave Rebecca and Professor Hawkins to you," Téa said to Duke once we arrived at the train station.

Duke nodded. "You can count on me. We'll catch up with you guys when the professor gets better."

"That's good," said Tristan, "because the situation won't improve without the professor."

"_I hope Shizuka has a much less complicated quest than we do,"_ I thought as I gathered mine and Joey's bags.

"It's ok," said Joey as he took his bag. "I can get it, but thanks."

I turned away from him. "Joey…there's something I have to talk about with you, but I don't want to hurt your feelings. …It's about Shizuka."

Joey raised his eyebrow. "What about Shizuka?"

"I…I like her a lot, and…" I just turned completely red.

Joey smiled. "Is that all? If I don't care that Tristan or Duke likes her, then it certainly doesn't hurt me if _you_ have a crush. Just…don't touch her unless you two are serious, ok?"

"O-ok," I said, the blood returning to the rest of my body. _"Well, I successfully told her brother. Now I need to figure out how to tell her. …I'm dead."_

"You guys had better get on the train," warned Duke. Eyeing the time, we realized he was right. We quickly gathered the last of our things and entered the train. "Later, guys!"

Ten minutes into our travels, Joey and Tristan ransacked the dining car, while Téa was trying to get Pharaoh to talk to him. It seemed as though he was in his own, sad little world. _"Oh, Pharaoh," _I thought. _"I feel your pain. I know what it's like to miss someone. The way they talk…the way they laugh…I wonder if Shizuka feels the same about me."_

Eventually, Pharaoh got up and walked out of the car. "Nothing you can say will help the other Yugi right now," Tristan said to Téa. "His loss is too much for him right now."

Joey nodded. "Let this Yugi be. I, the great Joey Wheeler, will save the other Yugi!"

I smirked. "Maybe you're right. This _is_ the stronger Yugi we're talking about; time will soon heal his wound, and soon he'll be back to his energetic self." But my confidence faded when fifteen minutes passed and he hadn't returned.

"He's been gone for a while," noted Téa.

Tristan looked around and frowned. "He's not the only one. Take a look around!" We all looked around, and realized exactly what he meant: the car was completely empty.

"But how can this be?" I asked. "…Damn. I was so preoccupied with my own thoughts that I didn't sense the lack of so many people. I wonder…I wasn't paying much attention even when we boarded…what if the people were never really here!?"

"You don't think…" Tristan let that question hang as we proceeded to the upper level. Again, it was empty.

Joey looked around. "Not a soul in sight."

"Did you _have_ to say soul?"

I closed my eyes and probed around the train for other presences. "I…I don't sense anyone here! No passengers, no employees, not even a conductor! Just the Pharaoh, and the four of us."

"Like a ghost train?" Joey asked.

"Like a trap." When we ran back to the lower level, the Pharaoh had returned. "We're in trouble."

"We're trapped, and I bet those Doma slime balls are behind it," said Joey.

Suddenly, I felt a familiar taint. "…He's right. They just arrived on the train. Two of them: one at the back end, the other at the front." Without a word, Pharaoh quickly started running to the front.

Once Pharaoh passed between the cars, they became disconnected. Joey, Tristan and I quickly skidded to a halt, but Téa jumped to the other side with Pharaoh. A second later, their half of the train began to pick up speed, leaving the rest of us behind. "Get help!" called Pharaoh before they went out of shouting range.

A minute later, our half of the train slowed to a stop. "This is perfect," growled Joey as we hopped off the train. "We're in the middle of nowhere, and we don't even know where those guys are going to end up! …Hang in there, guys."

"Did Doma really do this?" asked Tristan.

"No doubt about it, Tristan," I confirmed. "I sense it…something's coming closer." A second later, Rex Raptor emerged from the train. "Where've you been?" I demanded. Then I saw the Orichalcos Duel Disk on her arm, and I realized the answer.

"I have a score to settle with you, Joey," said Rex as he jumped to the ground. "You took my Red-Eyes Black Dragon."

"This isn't the time!" insisted Joey.

"I have something to tell you: I've come to take your soul."

**End Chapter**

My apologies to any die-hard 4Kids fans – if such a thing exists – for the insulting reference. But I must speak the truth! They made many of the characters sound like fools!


	9. A Dinosaur's Vengeful Tears

**Loki's Eyes**

I growled softly. "Rex Raptor, the runner up in the Japan regional. How could you abandon your pride as a duelist and join Doma?"

"To gain a hell of a lot of power," answered Rex as he activated his Duel Disk. "Power to get my revenge. I'm going to enjoy this."

Joey clenched his fists. "It was you who disconnected the trains, huh? What do you want!?"

"I told you, we have a score to settle."

"Do you know what it means to join Doma? Do you want to destroy the world?"

Rex shook his head. "It has nothing to do with me. I just want to beat you."

"Joey, just forget him," I encouraged. "This petty feud is insignificant. We have to catch up to Yugi and Téa!"

"Don't worry: Weevil's keeping an eye on them. So, how about you stay a while!?" Rex drew from his deck and revealed the Seal of Orichalcos.

"Don't!" Joey yelled. "Anyone who uses that card and loses will lose his soul!"

"That's right," said Rex. With that, Rex slapped it into his Duel Disk. The barrier formed, pushing Tristan and me away and trapping Joey and Rex. "That's what I call power!"

"_There's no choice, then,"_ I thought.

"Idiot," snarled Joey.

"I'll bet my life on this duel," declared Rex. "Why not take my challenge?"

"I don't like it, but I have no choice," answered Joey as he activated his Duel Disk. "Let's duel!"

4000/4000

"I'll start," said Rex, "by special summoning Gilasaurus (1400/400)!"

"Special summon!?" demanded Joey.

"I can treat the summoning of this card as a special summon. Doing so also allows _you_ to special summon a monster from your graveyard. Too bad your graveyard is empty. And now, I'll special summon another Gilasaurus (1400/400)! And now, I normally summon Chitoptera (1400/1300) in attack mode! And all three of my monsters gain 500 more attack points from the Seal. You're facing a formidable array of monsters before you've even had your first turn!"

Joey smirked. "You just had a lucky draw on your opening hand. You can't win a duel on just luck."

"You should talk. You only beat me last time because _you_ got lucky." As Joey fumed Rex said, "I'll set one card and end my turn."

"In that case, I summon Panther Warrior (2000/1600)! It can only attack if I sacrifice a monster on my field, so I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Joey!" yelled Tristan. "You've got three dinos breathing down your neck! You'd better think of something before you're extinct!"

I smacked Tristan upside the head. "He knows that. What makes you think he needs the extra pressure?"

Rex chuckled evilly. "I can feel the power of the Orichalcos inside me." As he drew he said, "Showtime! I use Polymerization to fuse Gilasaurus and Chitoptera to form Horned Saurus (2000/1400)! Next, I summon Giant Rex (2000/1000)! And of course, they get a 500 points boost from the Orichalcos. Horned Saurus, attack directly!"

1500/4000

"Wait a minute!" protested Tristan. "Joey had a monster on the field!"

"Maybe so, but Horned Saurus' special ability allows it to attack directly on the turn it's summoned. And now, Giant Rex will take a bite out of Panther Warrior!"

1000/4000

"Oh, no!" yelled Tristan. "That was his last monster!"

Joey looked back. "Tristan, your cheerleading skills need work."

"Gilasaurus!" yelled Rex. "Finish him with a direct attack!"

"No way! I play Scapegoat, creating four Sheep Tokens (0/0) to shield me!" Gilasaurus simply destroyed one of them.

"I always hated those hairballs," muttered Rex.

"Really? They hated you too."

"It doesn't matter. My prehistoric pets are going to walk all over you!"

"I've got more talent in my left nostril than you'll ever have!" shot back Joey.

"The Seal of Orichalcos is on my side, so I've got more power than you _and_ your nostrils!"

I snickered. "Very witty, Rex."

"It's my move," said Joey, "and I play Rocket Warrior (1500/1300) in defense mode! Then I'll place two cards facedown. Tell me: do you think power is everything in a duel?"

"Dueling is _always_ a serious fight, and winning is the most important thing."

I frowned. _"Hold the phone. Didn't Mai say the exact same thing?"_

"…I end my turn," Joey replied.

"Alright! Horned Saurus, attack his Rocket Warrior!"

"I play the trap Magic Arm Shield! It lets me control one of your monsters and use it as a shield for your attack!"

"Sorry, but I counter with _my_ trap, Jurassic Heart, which can negate and destroy any trap that targets a dinosaur!" A second later, Rocket Warrior was destroyed. "Giant Rex and Gilasaurus, destroy two of his Sheep Tokens!" Once they were gone he said, "I'll set one card facedown and end his turn. You're one attack away from losing your soul forever!"

"Dream on," said Joey as he drew. "I play the spell, Star Blaster! First I sacrifice my Sheep Token, and then I get to roll a six-sided die. Then I can summon a monster whose level equals the sum of the roll plus the level of the monster sacrificed to activate it." A die was rolled, and it came up a six. "Alright! Adding the level of the Sheep Token, I get to summon a level seven monster!"

"You're lucky: just like before!"

"Let's see if this looks familiar. I summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) in attack mode!"

Rex stared at it like a deer in the headlights. "My…Red-eyes!"

"And it's stronger than ever thanks to my trap card, Metalmorph! It equips to my monster and raises his attack points by 300! Plus, whenever Red-Eyes attacks a monster, it absorbs half that monster's attack strength during the battle. Red-Eyes, attack his Horned Saurus with inferno fire blast!"

1000/2550

"I'll set a card and end my turn. Red-Eyes Black Dragon represents the friendship between me and Yugi."

"But Red-Eyes was originally mine! How can you act like that when you took the card away from me?"

"Hey, I won it in a fair duel."

"You…" Rex made a fist. "You ruined my life! I used to be a Regional Duel Monsters champion. At one time, Weevil and I were the most famous duelists in the country. We couldn't walk a block without being recognized! Unfortunately, my fame didn't last. I became a joke. I was supposed to win the most prestigious dueling tournament ever thrown, but I was defeated by a rookie. What I lost in that tournament wasn't just my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The second Weevil and I lost, all of our fans disappeared! It was the lowest point of my life. Since then, it's been one bad day after another. And I owe it all to you, Wheeler!"

"You little worm," I snarled. "You blame Joey just because you had a rough time? In a duel, there's always a winner and a loser. Everyone struggles to be the winner. Why do you act like you're a tragic hero?"

"I can't see any hope for the future as long as I can't defeat Joey!"

Joey shrugged. "Just try defeating me, then. You can keep challenging me no matter what the outcome is, and I'll always accept your challenge. I wasn't always a powerful duelist. I lost many duels, but every time I lose, I become stronger. I tried hard to recover from the abyss of failure." Rex put his hat over his face. "I'm totally different from a weak duelist like you, who surrendered to Doma just to become stronger."

Rex shifted his hat back up smiled cruelly. "Heh. You're just like Mai said. Everything you say is so proper: that's why you make people so angry! Everyone has tried to do what you did, even Weevil and Mai, but we just can't make it. Don't you understand? A great duelist like you can never understand the pain of someone like me or Mai."

Joey snarled, "Don't compare yourself to Mai."

"It's my turn, and I sacrifice Gilasaurus and Giant Rex to summon Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500)! It's a dragon showdown, and yours is about to be toast! Tyrant Dragon, destroy his Red-Eyes!"

300/2550

"Sorry, Red-Eyes," moaned Joey.

"Oh, but you don't have to say goodbye to him just yet, because my trap card will bring him back. I activate Chain of the Underworld, reviving the Red-Eyes Black Dragon on your field, but reducing its attack by 700 points."

"I don't get it," said Tristan. "Why would Rex revive Joey's dragon after he worked so hard to defeat it?"

I grunted. "Tyrant Dragon can attack twice in one turn, as long as the opponent has another monster on the field. And now, Joey does."

Joey frowned. "Why would you revive the Red-Eyes Black Dragon just to destroy it again?"

"Red-Eyes betrayed me, so I won't forgive it," answered Rex. "By the way, Chain of the Underworld lets you draw one card, but it won't help."

As Joey drew he demanded, "You would go to such lengths to punish the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!?"

"It's all your fault! Tyrant Dragon, attack him and end this duel!"

"No way! I play my trap, Celebration of Creation!"

"Too bad for you, my dragon isn't affected by trap cards!"

"He's not targeting your dragon," I countered. "Celebration of Creation activates whenever a monster is summoned with a card effect, and ends your turn immediately."

Joey nodded. "I won't let Red-Eyes go back to the graveyard."

"Fine," pouted Rex. "Make your move so I can finish you off for good!"

"I'm the one who's going to be doing the finishing off. First, I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600)! Then I play Pot of Greed so I can draw two more cards." Joey paused for a second before saying, "It's time to tell you a thing or two. Every card in Duel Monsters has a story behind it, and this is one of my favorites. Once there was a warrior so powerful that every time he swung his sword, the world shook. His sword caused so much devastation that he decided to do something about it. He built a suit of iron to limit his strength, and from then on he was known as Gearfried the Iron Knight. Now the time has come to set him free. I play Release Restraint to transform my monster into Gearfried the Swordmaster (2600/2300)!"

Rex laughed. "You went through that whole story for this? That monster's useless!" But his laughter immediately ceased when Joey showed him another card, and I could tell from its pure energy what it was. "…That, on the other hand, might help you."

"I see you recognize the Claw of Hermos, and its ability to fuse with a monster to become an equip card. So, I fuse it with my Red-Eyes to create the Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword, which I equip to Gearfried! Now, he gains 1000 attack points, plus an extra 500 for every dragon on the field giving him a grand total of 4100 attack points!"

Rex flinched. "Now it's much stronger than my monster!"

"As if it matters, because when Gearfried is equipped with a card, he automatically destroys one monster on your field!" Gearfried unleashed a shockwave that destroyed Rex's Tyrant Dragon.

"Oh, no!" cried Rex. "And you still haven't declared an attack yet! Please, Wheeler, don't attack!"

Joey shook his head. "Sorry, but I have to. But I promise that when I save Yugi, I'll save you too. Gearfried the Swordmaster, attack directly!" Rex cried out as the attack struck.

300/0

As Rex became the only occupant of the Seal he cried, "Please, save me! Ack…ARGH!" Then the Seal faded, and his body collapsed.

Tristan ran over and shook him. "Hey, wake up!" yelled Tristan.

"You're talking to an empty shell," I replied, walking over to him. "The lights are on, but nobody's home." Turning back to Joey I asked, "Are you alright, Joey?"

Joey nodded. "Rex…I promise I'll get you back, once we find Yugi and Pegasus." Turning to the sky he yelled, "You hear me, Doma!? We're coming for you, and we're not leaving without our friends!"

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

I was immediately awakened from my sleep when a hand clamped over my mouth, holding a rag of chloroform. I had no idea who that boy was, but I certainly wasn't going to simply lie there and let him overcome me. I batted his hand away and punched him in his face. He was so surprised by my sudden action that he dropped his rag, stumbled back, and tripped over a sleeping Edward.

He blinked a few times in confusion as Edward shot up. "That never happens," the boy muttered.

Edward grabbed the boy by the collar and snarled, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" By now, everyone was awake.

I shakily stood up, having accidentally inhaled a few of the fumes. "Who are you?" I demanded.

"Robinson," he blubbered. "I'm a pirate; or at least, I will be. The Captain said he'd let me join his crew if I got him a female duelist!"

"Who and where is your Captain?" demanded Edward as he turned his metal hand into a blade. "Think carefully. And quickly!"

"Captain Zesron!" he immediately confessed. "He's at his ship at the docks! It's the one colored pitch-black! You can't miss it!"

"_Even for a pirate, he was quick to sell out his friends for his own freedom,"_ I thought. "You're free to go, but make sure we never catch you doing this again." As soon as Edward set him down, Robinson dashed away like a cockroach from light.

Winry crossed her arms. "We should've turned him and his gang over to the police."

I smiled. "But if we did, they'd have probably seized his free form of transport. See?"

Daisuke grinned. "Oh! Now we have ourselves a ship."

Right after that, we ran over to the docks. As Robinson said, there was indeed a pitch-black ship waiting for us. Standing at the bottom of the entry ramp was a big guy; judging from his appearance, I figured he was the Captain.

"I'll handle this," said Edward. He walked over and said, "Hey, you!"

The big guy looked down and asked, "What do you want, shrimp?"

He snapped again. Edward grabbed the big guy by the wrist and started swinging him around. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN ITSY-BITSY BUG YOU JUST WANNA SQUASH!?" It was then I realized that using Edward for diplomatic purposes was a bad idea.

Just then, a twenty-something-year-old man walked down the ramp and asked, "What's all the noise? I'm trying to sleep."

Edward released the big guy, who flew into the sea from the momentum of the swing. The man climbed out and answered, "Intruders…Captain Zesron."

"Really? And here I thought they were just holding a séance," he sarcastically replied. Turning to us he said, "State your business, lubbers."

"It's simple," said Daisuke. "We know you're pirates, and we want your ship. Lend us your ship, and we won't tell on you."

Zesron smirked. "You've met Robinson, haven't you? Well, I deny that we're pirates, and I've never seen that Robinson boy before in my life. You kids have nothing on me."

Edward ginned. "Nothing, huh?" He put his hands together and placed them on the ship. Suddenly, there was a big gaping hole where his hands were.

Zesron flinched. "What have you done to my ship!?"

"I transmuted a portion of it into metal shavings. I can repair it in an instant if you lend us your ship. Or you can refuse, and I can make the entire side of the ship vanish. Your choice."

"…Fine," he relented. Turning back to the ship he yelled, "Men, I'm calling a mandatory shore leave!" As the crew began to pile out he snarled, "If my ship doesn't come back in mint condition, I'm going to hunt you all down."

"No worries," said Edward after he restored the ship. "With me around, this thing could survive ten consecutive tornadoes."

We cast off about two minutes after that conversation. Just before we hit the horizon, I turned in time to see Robinson return to the dock…and get his ass kicked by the entire crew. "Pirates like that give the rest of us a bad name," I said.

Daisuke crossed his arms and smirked. "So you're a pirate captain now, are you? Why do I have a sudden urge to mutiny?"

"Just take the helm, Daisuke," I hissed.

As Daisuke took the wheel he said, "Luckily, I know where to go from here: I can sense the location of Altar. Check your compass, and we should be heading the same direction it's pointing."

I checked and confirmed his statement. "…You were just looking at my compass, weren't you?" I asked.

"…I cannot tell a lie: I actually know how to get there!" he snapped.

"Fine, fine." Deciding against getting on the bad side of the man at the wheel, I exited and headed to the sleeping quarters: in the excitement of what happened so far, I forgot that I was in the middle of a nap.

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

I dreamt that I was in a modest bedroom. Taking a look at my surroundings, I figured I was in Loki's apartment. To my surprise, there was a knock on the door, and a girl that looked very similar to the Dark Magician Girl walked in. "You're Shizuka, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered. "Who are you?"

"My name is Mana: AKA, Loki's mother."

I bowed respectfully. "It's a pleasure, Mrs. Admin. I wasn't expecting you to-"

"There's no need to be so formal, dear. I just wanted to meet you at least once before I pass to the other side."

I gasped. "Are you dying?"

She giggled. "That ship has long since sailed. I'm a spirit: I've been dead for nearly 5000 years."

"Oh. …Wait a minute! That would make Loki a spirit too."

"You caught on very quickly. You two are going to have some very smart children someday." Wandering around the room she explained, "I gave birth to a Loki 5000 years ago, and after his death, his spirit traveled across time and space until it inhabited a baby. And that in turn created the Loki that you're in love with."

I put my hand over my heart and closed my eyes. "Loki is a complicated man in many ways."

To my surprise, she stood right in front of me when I opened my eyes. "So make sure you treat him well," she instructed, giving me a kiss on the check. "That's my gift to you, since I probably won't be around for the wedding, daughter in law."

I woke up when Daisuke tapped me with his foot. "We're here, Shizuka. It's time."

**End Chapter**


	10. Beyond Infinity

**Loki's Eyes**

"Looking at the sky in which the tomorrow will come, I don't know what to do with my heart that is only lost," I sang as we walked.

"Why are you singing that?" asked Joey.

"I dunno, really. It's strange: ever since I spoke with one of Shizuka's traveling companions on the phone, I had that song stuck in my head. I'd like to think there's a logical explanation for that…since the explanations for everything else are _far_ from logical."

"I agree. For example, is there a logical reason for why _I'm_ the one who's carrying Rex!?" he snarled.

"It's because Tristan already carried him a mile. But if it's too tiring for you, I can take him for a while." So, Joey moved him to my back. "He's not so heavy. You could probably bench-press him if you wanted."

"Yeah, but I'm not used to carrying another person in this heat for this long!"

"Fair enough," I said as I shifted Rex so I could carry him easier. "Here's a thought: why don't we each grab a limb and simply drag him?"

Tristan thought about it for a minute. "…No, it's probably better if we carry him. I mean, he's gonna be pissed if something happens to his body while he's away."

"Keep in mind that he _did_ try and take Joey's soul. …Alright, let's go." About an hour and a half later into our walk, Joey froze. "What's wrong?" Joey pulled out his magical dragon card. "Hermos?"

To our shock, Hermos appeared before us and flew into the sky. "Follow that dragon!" instructed Joey as he broke into a run.

"_It's easy for you to say,"_ I grudgingly thought as I dashed after him. _"You're not carrying a duelist." _Eventually, we reached a field with Pharaoh and Téa, who stood next to a crashed Kaiba Corp plane. "Why am I not surprised to see you guys here?" I asked with a smile.

The plane to the door opened and Kaiba emerged, holding the soulless Alistair in his arms. He looked down and muttered, "The dweeb patrol," as he jumped down. Mokuba poked his head out the door and waved down some Kaiba Corp helicopters.

"You won the duel?" asked Joey.

"Of course I did. What are you all doing here?"

"The three dragons led us here," answered Pharaoh. "It looks like we're destined to fight together."

"I don't believe in destiny," he replied, though not unexpectedly.

One of Kaiba's men ran out of the helicopter and yelled, "Thank goodness you're not hurt! But…I have terrible news! Kaiba Corp's been bought out!"

Kaiba growled. "Doma!?"

A minute later, we were in one of their helicopters. Mokuba was sitting down saying, "My brother and I each own half of Kaiba Corp's shares, and we didn't even _know_ about the buyout!"

"There's only one possibility," Kaiba grimly stated. "Doma must control the whole global market!"

"But how could they get past your security system?" asked Téa.

"We're obviously dealing with a very powerful organization."

"Seto-sama…" murmured one of the suits.

Kaiba shook his head. "Save it. I'm not your boss anymore."

"I'll stand by your side until Kaiba Corp is yours once more!" declared the other suit.

"That goes for me too," agreed the first.

Mokuba looked up, impressed with their loyalty. "Roland…Fubeta…"

Kaiba smiled slightly. "I'm glad."

"We need to get to Florida," said Pharaoh, "to decipher those ruins."

"Doma has already expanded its terror into that area."

I frowned. "You're kidding! Then the clues we have will be intercepted again!"

"There's still hope."

A second later, the pilot turned back and said, "Mr. Kaiba, there's an emergency message on the red line!"

Kaiba opened his briefcase, revealing a laptop. "This could be just what I'm waiting for," he said.

A voice message stated, "We're ready to upload the images of the undersea ruins, Mr. Kaiba!"

I grinned. "You had men arrive in Florida before Doma."

Mokuba gave a confident shrug and replied, "What did you expect? My brother is always one step ahead of everyone else."

"_Go, Kaiba,"_ I admired, in spite of myself.

As it was uploading, however, there were several crashes and screams to be heard on the line. A second later, it disconnected. "Oh well," Kaiba sighed. "At least we got what we needed."

"Alright," I said. "Now, transmit the data to the Hawkins' laptop." Once I gave him the IP address, we set up a teleconference with their computer. "It should be arriving any second," I told them.

"Got it," confirmed Rebecca on the other side. "My grandpa's looking at it now."

"Good," replied Pharaoh. "We should meet up as soon as possible. …Rebecca…I'm sorry."

"Bad news," said Professor Hawkins. "The quality of the images is worse than I thought. Unless we clear up the photos, I won't be able to read much."

"Alright," said Kaiba. Turning to the pilot he commanded, "Set a course for Kaiba Corp headquarters."

"Are you crazy?" asked Tristan. "It's probably already filled with Doma's goons!"

"Probably, but the only way we can clean up the images in time is to use the Kaiba Corp computers. We have no choice."

I nodded. "I dislike agreeing with Kaiba, but his computer system _is_ among the most sophisticated in the world; not to mention the best we have at our disposal."

"You're right," agreed Pharaoh. "We have to stop these criminals before they make their next move, and we have no time to lose!"

Kaiba raised his eyebrow. "You're more gung ho than I expected, since you lost your title and all."

"I'll use all my strength to defeat Doma. No matter what happens, I must get back the soul of my partner!"

"You'll have to bleach the stain of your loss first."

"_And knowing our luck,"_ I thought, _"that's not as much an option as it is a prerequisite."_

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

I frowned when Daisuke pointed out the crumbling temple on the pathetic patch of earth it barely stood on. "Is that really it?" I asked.

"Absolutely," he confirmed. "It doesn't look like much, but the fact that it's stood for over 10,000 years should count for something, don't you think?" Edward responded by blowing a raspberry. "Ok, Mr. Picky. If I ever pay a visit to your world, we can do whatever _you_ want to do."

"You know," I said, "I'll bet Edward should be able to give this place a quick patch job."

Edward frowned. "That'd require a transmutation circle half the size of the island."

"But I thought you knew how to perform your alchemy spells without those circles?"

"Yeah, but it works a lot better if I'm turning _an_ object into _several_ objects, not the other way around." Edward studied the island for a brief second. "…Well, everything seems to be just stone and dirt; it shouldn't be too complicated." And so, once we edged up on shore, Edward hopped out, put his hands together, and placed them firmly on the ground when he landed.

I watched in awe as the entire island began to glow. Then the fallen pieces of rock flew back into shattered blocks, which soon became whole again. When Edward finished, the temple was completely rebuilt. Immediately afterwards, he collapsed in exhaustion.

"Big brother!" called Al as we ran out of the ship. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," gasped Edward. "It wasn't complicated…but it still took almost all my energy."

"Rest easy, mate," said Daisuke. "It's our show now." Daisuke suddenly frowned and thought silently to himself. "…Wait. I think this requires a third person to read the inscription of the Sword of Justice."

"I'll do it," answered Edward as he sat up. "I'm not so tired that I can't read." I shrugged and handed him the Sword of Justice. "…'With this Sword of Justice, I shall make sure everyone gets what they deserve in the end.'"

"My turn," said Daisuke as he pulled out his. "'With this sword of Wisdom, I shall teach the ignorant the value of righteousness, and slay those who would still resist it.' Take it, Shizuka!"

I nodded and recited, "'With this Sword of Renewal, I shall take ashes of the vanquished and help build a better world.'"

Suddenly, our swords turned to dust and fell through our hands to the ground. The dust piles reformed themselves into three cards, each one named after its respective sword. A second later, Daisuke's Duel Disk crest emitted an eerie sound. Then three of the slots lit up yellow: one on the monster zone, one in the spell/trap zone, and the graveyard slot.

"I see," said Daisuke. "I guess we're supposed to place the cards in those slots. …But which cards go where?"

I thought about it for a minute before I stated, "I see. It's a logic puzzle."

"So how do we solve it?"

I picked up the Sword of Renewal card. "Maybe…ok, follow me on this. 'Renewal' is a synonym of 'rebirth', alright? Therefore, it should go into the graveyard." I walked over and slid it into the graveyard slot.

"Maybe you're right," admired Daisuke. "In that case, I can probably guess the next one. Um…Sword of Wisdom…sorcerers have wisdom…sorcerers cast spells…so it goes into the spell zone!" He picked up the card and slid it into the spell zone. As he marched over to the final card he declared, "So by process of elimination, it means that Sword of Justice goes into the monster zone!" With that, he slid it in the final slot. "…So, now what?"

I looked at the occupied slots for a second and saw that they were all colored red. "I think we're completely wrong."

Daisuke looked at the crest and frowned. "But that seemed absolutely right!"

Edward raised his hand. "Maybe you're looking at the cards in the wrong way. Try comparing them to other Duel Monster cards."

"But that's what we did, and this is the most obvious answer."

"You came up with plausible explanations for the first two, but why is Sword of Justice on the monster zone?"

I picked the cards off the crest and studied them again. _"He's right. We're missing something important." I _thought back to the battles with Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos, trying to remember if there was anything they said that could give us a hint.

"Wait, I think I got it now!" said Daisuke. "The effect of Sword of Renewal lets it fuse with monster cards, so it belongs in the monster zone. The Sword of Justice fuses with spells, so it belongs in the spell/trap zone-"

"And Sword of Wisdom fuses with traps, but it doesn't necessarily belong in the graveyard," I pointed out. "No, we need to look at this symbolically." With that, I slipped Sword of Justice in the graveyard.

"Huh!?" demanded Daisuke. "What's that for?"

I also placed Sword of Wisdom in the monster space, and Sword of Renewal in the spell/trap zone. "Now that I have Wisdom on the field, I can use Renewal to bring back Justice!"

The slots in Daisuke's crest glowed green. "You did it, Shizuka!" cheered Daisuke as the crest lifted off his arm by an unseen force. "But how did you figure it out?"

"It kind of just came to me," I answered. "I figured that maybe Justice was dead because people kept trying to get around the system. I figured that if people sat down and worked things out, they'd receive Wisdom. And so, they'd be able to Renew Justice."

Once I was finished with my amazingly spontaneous speech – a bit of which I _may_ have fabricated to an extent – the crest flew over to a pedestal in the center of the temple. A second later, an arm appeared in the crest, and the rest of a body materialized soon after, showing a knight that was bigger than all three of the Atlantis knights. "I am Knight of Destiny," he said. "With my Sword of Infinity, I shall sentence the weak to an eternity of suffering."

Winry hid behind Al. "I kind of thought he'd be nicer," she whimpered.

"The light in his soul is equal to the one who wields Legend of Heart," explained Daisuke. "And until it's unsealed, his light is nonexistent. Don't expect any mercy from him."

"That's fine with me," I said as I loaded my Duel Disk with my experimental deck. "The mercy I'll give him will be equal to the mercy _he_ gives. Here it comes!"

4000

"_He has no lifepoint counter? What does that mean?"_ I thought. "I play a monster in defense mode and end my turn!" To my surprise, he raised his sword above his head and cut down my Winged Kuriboh (300/200). The shock from the blast was enough to blow me to the edge of the island. "What the heck's going on!?"

Daisuke trembled. "What power! Clearly, he's acting as his own monster. And I think he has an infinite amount of attack and defense points. And if he doesn't have a lifepoint counter, then his lifepoints are probably infinite as well!"

"But that's impossible to defeat!" protested Edward. "No possible combination of cards can make a monster's attack points infinite!"

"_You're right,"_ I realized. _"But if I want to defeat a creature with infinite power, I'll have to battle it with a force beyond infinity."_ Glancing at my hand for a second I thought, _"I intended to first unleash this combo against Loki. I guess this'll have to be a test run; if it'll work against this guy, it'll work against anyone."_ Out loud I said, "I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Daisuke gasped. "You fool! A direct attack of infinite power will rip your body to shreds!"

"He won't have a chance to attack," I declared. "The weakness of a powerful monster is its own strength. I play my trap, Ring of Destruction! This will destroy Knight of Infinity and inflict damage to both of us, equal to the attack points of that monster!"

"But the damage to him, being infinity, is incalculable! He probably won't even be fazed by it. And you'll still-"

"I chain my trap with Barrel Behind the Door! This'll take the damage to me and give it to him instead! The damage he receives is infinite, as is the damage I'm redirecting. Together, they create a force that's beyond infinity!" My combined traps began to glow, and I felt some kind of pressure. "What…what is…?" The others were clearly feeling the same pressure.

"Such a careless move," groaned Daisuke as he clutched his chest. "The energy it takes to create a force with power beyond infinite…it'll end up destroying the five us!"

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and I immediately knew something was wrong. _"Shizuka!"_ I realized. I closed my eyes and concentrated into the deck I lent her. _"Are you alright?"_

"_**It hurts,"**_ she moaned. _**"I need…I need the power to create a force beyond infinity! Master…please, lend me your strength!"**_

"_You have the strength within you,"_ I assured her. _"It may be hard for you to see, but I know it's there. Unlike me, your power comes from love and kindness."_ I took Joey's hand; he was surprised, but he seemed to know what I was doing. _"Let us help you find that power."_

"_You can do it, Shizuka!"_ I heard Joey agree. _"We believe in you!"_

"_**I…I feel the warmth of your hearts…so much power…it's overflowing!"**_

**000000000  
Shizuka's Eyes**

I was thoroughly invigorated by Loki and Joey's guidance. The power I discovered gave me warmth better than a massage, a hot spring bath, and a bowl of chicken soup put together; it's kind of hard to describe it, really. I no longer felt the pressure of universe. In fact, I felt extremely light on my feet.

I extended my right hand to the Knight of Infinity and said, "Here's an eternity of suffering for you!" My newfound energy flowed out of my body through my hand, becoming visible strands of energy that flowed into my trap cards. A second later, my traps unleashed a beam that engulfed the Knight of Infinity. When the beam faded, only the Sword of Infinity remained, its tip embedded in the ground.

4000/0

I felt my energy extinguish like a candle in the wind, and gave silent thanks to Loki and Joey for helping me discover the energy I had within. I could imagine them watching me with a smile before I felt their presence slip away.

Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief. "That was scary. You did extremely well, Shizuka."

I nodded to acknowledge his compliment, and walked over to the blade. I pulled it out of the ground and read the inscription. "'I vow by the Sword of Infinity, I shall forever fight evil.'"

**End Chapter**


	11. The Lord of Doma is…

**Loki's Eyes**

"Did you feel Shizuka too?" Joey whispered to me.

I nodded. "But I get the feeling she'll be alright. She's a lot stronger than she looks. That's because I'm the best teacher in the world." Joey simply smirked in response.

We landed at about eight o' clock that night at a pier in California, where Duke and the Hawkins' waited for us. As we piled out, Kaiba turned to his men and instructed, "Take Rex and Alistair to the hospital." Then the copter took off again.

"Hey, guys!" greeted Duke. "We ran into Mai and Valon along the way. That guy really has it in for Joey, and Mai's still on their side."

Joey clenched his fist. "Just wait 'till I find them!"

I sighed. "Nice going, Devlin. Joey was already fired up, and now you've given him some more fuel."

"Pharaoh," said Rebecca, "is there any word about Yugi? We have to find him! If we don't get him back, I'll never forgive you."

"I miss Yugi too," said Pharaoh. "I promise we'll rescue him, but I need to pay a visit to Kaiba Corp first."

"I'll come along for tech support."

Kaiba crossed his arms and muttered, "I can't believe this kid's the US Champion." Noticing Mokuba's concern he said, "Don't worry. Kaiba Corp is our castle, and I won't let anyone occupy it." He started walking off, and Pharaoh and I followed him.

After a few blocks, Kaiba opened up a manhole and we started climbing down it. "This underground location was designed to be a shelter in case of an accident," he explained. Once we reached the bottom, we headed down a long corridor which ended with a locked elevator. Kaiba pulled out his locket card key and opened the door. As we walked in he said, "If Doma's brute squad is guarding the area, they'll never see us go inside."

The elevator rose a few floors, but stopped abruptly. Suddenly, a clawed foot smashed through the ceiling, and a monster jumped down! Before we could react, it jumped though the wall and disappeared. "That was no hologram!" exclaimed Kaiba. He then smashed the elevator controls, releasing the door. We quickly pulled it open and ran outside…

…Into an entire corridor of monsters. "Wrong floor," I murmured.

Pharaoh activated his Duel Disk. "We should summon our monsters."

Kaiba frowned. "I knew when I dueled Alistair that his monsters didn't use the same system as ours. So, will our monsters…?"

"Believe, Kaiba. Duel Monsters _do_ exist, but we don't have the technology to prove it." With a smile he said, "It's not surprising."

"By now, nothing surprises me," I said, activating my Duel Disk.

Kaiba smiled and turned his on, too. "It's ridiculous, but we have no choice."

"In that case, on your mark…get set…" Then I dashed forward yelling, "Go, Amazoness Swordswoman (1500/1600)!"

"Go, Vorse Raider (1900/1200)!"

"Go, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200)!"

As the enemy monsters were cut down, we ran through the fray to the end of the passage, reaching another locked door. But this time, Kaiba's locket couldn't unlock the door. "Someone must have reprogrammed the code!" A second later, our monsters were destroyed, and we were surrounded by enemy monsters.

Suddenly, Rebecca's voice rang out on the intercom. "Need some help?" The door opened and we ran through as a Dragon Zombie took a slash at us. The door slammed shut, chopping the monster's claw off.

I flipped off the hand and said, "Serves you right." To my surprise, the claw started flopping about. "…Ew."

"I hacked into Kaiba Corp's security system," said Rebecca. "It's a good thing I tagged along on your field trip. When this is over, you should let me know if you want me to upgrade your system."

"I'll think about it," replied Kaiba. "Let's go!"

We ran without stopping, as Rebecca opened each and every door for us. "Unfortunately," said Rebecca, "I can't access the central computer; it's on a different system."

"I got it from here," answered Kaiba as we ran through the final door. Kaiba headed to the center of the machine and used his locket key, which did a retinal check. A second later, the entire room hummed to life. "System shut down and reboot with the backup!" he commanded.

As it complied, I whispered to the Pharaoh, "It's like being on a spaceship in the future. It's so cool!"

A bit later, Kaiba inserted the disc with the images from the ruins. "Computer, analyze the images, cross-referencing with every known archaeological database."

A second later, Rebecca said, "We got the images."

I looked up and asked, "So, what do they say?"

Professor Hawkins translated, "After its ten thousand year long slumber, the black serpent will swallow the sun, and then paradise will rule once more."

"The black serpent? Paradise?"

"The paradise must be Atlantis."

Kaiba looked at one of the cleaned up images. "That insignia looks familiar. Where have I seen it before?" Furiously typing on the keyboard he said, "Of course. Paradias! It controls most of the major conglomerates of the world. They have enough power to rule presidents!" He brought up the image of the president, a man with long, spiky teal hair. "Does that mean…Doma and Paradias are the same!?"

Pharaoh flinched at the image. "That man! He's the stranger from my vision, who fought against Ironheart in the ancient battle of Atlantis!"

I raised my eyebrow. "You saw this guy in Atlantis? But how can the same man who fought a war ten thousand years ago be the president of a modern corporation?"

Suddenly, the panels and screens started exploding, and the figure from the screen was projected before us, standing atop a kind of serpent. "So close, and yet so far. Thanks for coming to me, Pharaoh and Kaiba."

"Are you the head of Doma!?" demanded Kaiba.

"I am. My name is Dartz, and soon Doma will lead the world to a brand-new start."

"_Dartz!?"_ I thought. _"What was it that Shizuka said? 'Dark Magician Girl says I have to help you save the world from Dartz'. So, this is what she's been up to. We've been working for the same goal the entire time, and I didn't know it."_

"How dare you say it's your ideal to destroy the world!?" demanded Kaiba. "Your hypocritical plan isn't justice at all!"

"What do you intend to do?" asked Pharaoh.

"I just abide by my fate," replied Dartz.

"You're manipulating the fate of the world!" I shot back.

Dartz laughed. "You don't understand. It's your existence that draws me to this future."

Pharaoh activated his Duel Disk. "Duel us!" he challenged. "And if we win, you must release your prisoners at once." Kaiba joined him, and they called forth Timaeus and Critias.

Dartz smirked. "Hello, dragons. Timaeus, how's your eye?" That's when I became aware of the scar over Timaeus's right eye. The dragon roared and unleashed a fireball, but Dartz vanished. We heard him say, "You can't reverse the wheel of fate now. You're helpless."

"Come back!" demanded Pharaoh. Suddenly, the door exploded, and monsters started charging in.

Kaiba starting running towards an elevator yelling, "Come on!" We rode the elevator up to the top floor. We followed Kaiba across the roof to the edge. Looking down, I saw monsters attacking the building from the outside. "Get ready to jump," he instructed. "I trusted you; now you must trust me."

A second later, his Blue-Eyes White Jet flew in front of us. We quickly jumped in, and Kaiba started to fly away. But we were hit by a burst of fire, and we spiraled down, crashing to the street below. We hopped out and looked back to Kaiba Corp, which was getting wracked with explosions. "I won't let Dartz take my company apart!"

I looked up and saw the shadow of Dartz's beast flying through the sky. "As if that's our biggest concern," I muttered.

**000000000**

**Loki's Eyes**

When we returned to the trailer, Mokuba happily called out to us. "I was worried about you for a second."

"We're fine," assured Kaiba. "Now that we know who we're after, it's time to crash their party."

"Well, we'd better act fast," said Rebecca, "because Joey ran off to find these Paradias guys on his own!"

I flinched. "Oniisan? We'd better get there before Joey does!"

Kaiba grunted. "He'd better not screw this up for me."

A second later, Téa ran up to us. "We've got bigger problems! Those same monsters Yugi and I saw out in the desert are roaming the city!"

"Maybe we should jump in my car and go," suggested Duke.

Professor Hawkins poked his head out of the trailer and said, "Things are even worse than we could imagine. According to the evening news, thousands of people around the world are suddenly collapsing in the streets!"

"It's those monsters," explained Téa.

Rebecca crossed her arms. "They must be using the power of the Orichalcos to capture people's souls."

"And did I mention that every police officer in town is under its spell?"

Pharaoh took a deep breath. "All right. We have to battle these monsters on our own, and find our way to Dartz."

I grinned. "Look on the bright side: when are the cops _ever_ helpful in these situations, anyway?"

As we headed into the trailer Rebecca said, "We're less than a mile from the Paradias headquarters."

Trembling with anticipation Mokuba said, "Soon we'll get into the Paradias organization."

Kaiba shook his head. "It's too quiet. From our past experience, Doma won't just stand there and let us get too close to them."

After about a minute into our drive, we found Tristan on the ground, with an Orichalcos soldier looming over him. Duke quickly stopped, and Pharaoh ran out yelling, "Go, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200)!" His monster dashed past Tristan and cut down the creature.

"What going on!?" asked Tristan.

"The soldiers who fought against Atlantis have been revived."

"Where's Oniisan?" I asked.

"You mean Joey? He hopped on some guy's motorcycle to take off after one of Doma's Swordsmen," answered Tristan.

"Was it Valon?" asked Rebecca. "Not only does he have a thing against Joey, he's got a deck full of monsters I've never seen before!"

"We have to find Joey before it's too late!" Pharaoh stated.

Then I sensed a dark and familiar presence. "Too late," I said as I activated my Duel Disk.

"He's right," agreed Kaiba as he followed suit. "We've got bigger problems." A second later, Orichalcos soldiers came out of every alley and door, completely surrounding us.

"Wait, brother!" warned Mokuba. "It's too dangerous!"

"I don't have time to waste on these people. I'll kill them. Go, Fang of Critias!"

"Come forth, Eye of Timaeus!"

"Let's go, Mataza the Zapper (1300/800)!" The great dragons easily mowed down the soldiers in their path, while Mataza stayed close and chopped up any that got too close to us. After a minute, the chaos had ended. "That's all of them," I said as we recalled our monsters. "Is everyone alright?"

A quick inspection revealed that none of us were hurt by those freaks. Suddenly, Kaiba and Mokuba started to wander off. Téa called after them, "Stop! We gotta stick together!"

Kaiba turned back and replied, "I can't waste my time here. I have to get into Paradias and put an end to this trick. Yugi, what're _you_ going to do?"

"I'll come after I find Joey."

"Do as you please." As they walked off he added, "Kaiba Corporation is occupied, but the satellite system is still alive."

Rebecca nodded. "I get it. We can use the satellite system to track Joey's Duel Disk!"

As she ran back in, Pharaoh called out, "Kaiba!"

"I don't need you now," said Kaiba, not breaking his stride. "I'll find Dartz myself, and defeat him."

"But it's too dangerous-" Téa started.

"They're done listening to us," I said. "Forget them for now; we have to find Oniisan."

We hopped into the trailer, where Rebecca was already working hard on gaining access. Téa looked over Rebecca's shoulder and asked, "Is it so easy to hack into someone else's system?"

"Well, Rebecca can do it," replied Duke.

Tristan nodded. "She's a genius." After about five minutes of standing outside the trailer he asked, "Having any luck?"

Téa looked over and growled, "That's the fifth time you asked that."

I was feeling just as anxious as Tristan was, but I did my best to hide it. "You said yourself that Rebecca's a genius."

"Joey might have gotten into a duel with Valon by now!"

"Cool it, Tristan!"

"Why didn't I talk Joey out of it? He thinks the change in Mai is _his_ fault!"

I nodded, remembering that Joey talked about it when Tristan was carrying Rex. _"'It's my fault,"_ he said. _"I didn't know Mai would change like that. I didn't feel anything wrong. So I'll solve the problem. I'll save her!'"_

"How can he be responsible for Mai!?" cried Tristan.

"I can't believe Joey said that!" exclaimed Téa.

"Well, he did," I replied. "He's the kind of guy who doesn't mind shouldering other people's problems; it's his nature, and we can't move against it. Whether you wanted to talk him out of it or not, it wouldn't have worked."

"Yeah, I know." But after another minute, he started panicking again. "I can't wait around any more. Joey needs our help, and he needs it now!"

"Calm down!" I snapped. "It's not as though we can easily find Oniisan without Kaiba's tracking system."

"Yeah, but Valon isn't the only one looking for Joey: Mai is, too!"

Téa's eyes widened. "What if Mai duels Joey!?"

Pharaoh crossed his arms. "Joey can't fight Mai; they'll both get hurt, no matter who wins. He knows that."

Rebecca ran out and said, "I found Joey!" She held up a piece of paper. "According to the readout, he's not far."

Pharaoh took the map and said, "I'll track Joey down. You guys move the trailer to a safer place."

I grabbed his wrist. "Leaving without us? Have you lost your mind!?"

"That's right," said Tristan. "We're in this together."

"Thank you," said Pharaoh. Turning to Rebecca he said, "You stay here. Duke, keep an eye on Rebecca and the professor until we get back."

"Wait a minute!" protested Rebecca.

"No," said Professor. "We need your talents back here."

"I promise," said Pharaoh, "as soon as Joey's safe, we'll find Yugi, and he'll be all right."

"Go kick butt!" cheered Duke. With that, we ran to find Joey.

Several minutes later, Téa called for us to stop. "According to the map, he should be nearby. We need to stop running and start looking down each street. …Pharaoh? What's wrong?" I turned, and noticed he was looking at his Timaeus card.

"I'm not sure, but a moment ago, I could sense the presence of Joey's legendary dragon. Now it's gone, and I'm afraid his dragon was destroyed."

"No way!" exclaimed Tristan. "Does that mean Joey lost!?"

I closed my eyes and concentrated. _"Joey…Joey…" _I felt a familiar ping and said, "No, I still sense his soul. But I get the feeling that hurrying would be a very good thing to do right now." With that, we broke into another run.

Téa ordered us to stop again, pointing down an alley. We turned, and we saw a huge vortex of light beyond the buildings. I smiled. "Do you get the feeling that Joey's behind that?" We started running towards the light.

About a minute into it, Pharaoh headed off in another direction and instructed, "This way!" As we ran, we looked ahead of us and saw the eerie green light again.

"Oh, no!" I gasped. "Not again!"

"The Seal of Orichalcos!" exclaimed Pharaoh. "And we all know what that means."

"Someone's about to be without a soul." With that, we took off in the direction of the Seal. "Follow me, guys: I can smell the stench of that awful magic a mile away."

I ran as fast as I could, without getting too far ahead of the others for them to lose me; that was probably the hardest part of it. But then I felt a sharp pain in my heart, and I fell to my knees._"What…what is this?" _I heard the roars of dragons, and looked to the sky. Timaeus and Critias were in the sky, and I felt their sorrow._ "They're crying…they've lost their brother…Hermos…JOEY!"_

I arrived before the others, and far too late. Lying against the fence were two soulless duelists: Valon and Joey. I walked over to Joey and knelt beside him. "Joey…Oniisan! You idiot! How can I face Shizuka now!?" The others arrived to find me crying on Joey's shoulder. "Oniisan! ONIISAN!"

**End Chapter**

And now Joey is amongst the fallen duelists. How many more will suffer before this madness ends?**  
**


	12. Rise of the Dark Guardian!

**Loki's Eyes**

Tristan quivered with anger. "When I get my hands on the person who did this, they'll wish they were never born."

Wiping the last of my tears away I said, "It's pretty clear that it wasn't Valon, or he'd still have his soul. I imagine there were two duels: first Joey beat Valon, but then Mai came along."

Clenching his fists, Tristan snarled, "I'll get her for this!"

Pharaoh nodded. "Yes, but there's only one person we can _really_ blame for all this. He hides in his fortress while others do his dirty work."

"Dartz," I growled.

"No more!" With that, the pair of us ran towards the Paradias building. "This ends now!"

When we arrived, we stood alone in an empty foyer with three elevators. One of the elevators lit up, and when it opened, Mai stood there…before falling into my arms. "Harpie feathers!" exclaimed Pharaoh, pointing to a stray feather that drifted down.

I looked at the soulless Mai with pity. "So, even _she _joins the growing list of victims. Is there no end to Dartz's evil?"

"There is," answered Pharaoh as I set Mai's body outside the elevator. "I will bring that end." We climbed inside, and the elevator automatically rose to the top, where we were greeted by Rafael. The wings of his Guardian Eatos appeared from his back, and a few feathers flew off. "So, it's you."

"I've been waiting for you, Nameless Pharaoh." He then tossed Pharaoh a card: Claw of Hermos.

"You're the one who defeated Oniisan!?" I demanded.

"It was Mai who beat Joey, and then _I_ defeated _her_."

"But why? Wasn't she on your side?"

"I never trusted her, and it turns out I was right. After she took Joey's soul, she turned on us."

The hand Pharaoh used to hold Hermos began to tremble. "Joey's feelings _did_ reach Mai. But…"

"Both Joey and Mai would have loved to send you this card, so you should hang onto it."

"You…have you no pain at all!?" demanded Pharaoh. "Pegasus, Weevil, Rex, Mai, Joey, and Yugi…how many souls have you taken? Even Alistair and Valon…even your friends' souls have been taken! Don't you feel anything!?"

Rafael shrugged. "This world can't be saved as long as there are people in it. That's destiny. In order to understand destiny, you must accept it and offer yourself to it. I want to understand destiny; that's why I'll gladly sacrifice body and soul."

"Why would a duelist like you submit to Dartz's so-called destiny, and even steal souls for it?"

"Destiny has already been set in motion; no one can stop it from moving." He looked up, showing the silhouette of a serpentine creature.

"What is that!?" exclaimed Pharaoh.

"Soon, the door of destiny will be opened by Lord Dartz. The moment for the answer to be revealed will soon be here. For the sake of that day, duel me again. I _did_ defeat you that day, but even though you lost, your soul wasn't taken. I don't know why you escaped your fate, but compared to the destiny Dartz speaks of, it's negligible. You can't defeat me, and I'm going to prove it here."

Pharaoh shook his head. "Why must we be bound by destiny? I'd like to duel you again, but that's because you're a True Duelist. It has nothing to do with destiny."

"Our duel is destined, and this time, your soul must be seized!" he declared, holding up the Seal of Orichalcos card. Placing it in his deck and walking over to Pharaoh he said, "Let your own hands decide your fate."

As they cut and shuffled each others' decks Pharaoh said, "Even if you give me the Seal of Orichalcos, I'm not going to use it again."

"I know." A second later, they returned each others' decks.

As Rafael walked back to his side of the field I thought, _"Joey…Mai…wherever you are, please watch over him."_ Both players activated their Duel Disks, and the game began.

4000/4000

"Since I'm the returning champion, I'll start things off," said Rafael. "I play the spell, Guardian Treasure, which allows me to discard my hand and draw two new cards. Plus, I can draw two cards each turn from now on, as long as Guardian Treasure remains on the field. Next, I summon Backup Gardna (500/2200) in defense, set one card facedown, and end my turn."

"_That was his starting move last time,"_ I noted.

"For my move, I'll play Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in defense mode, and end my turn."

As Rafael drew his two he said, "I'm going to reunite you with a friend from our last duel; Gravity Axe which I equip to Backup Gardna, raising his attack points by 500. And since Gravity Axe is on the field, I can special summon Guardian Grarl (2500/1000) in attack mode! Then I use the effect of Gardna to transfer its equip spell to Grarl! Grarl, destroy his monster!" Once Pharaoh's field was cleared he said, "That's all."

"Then for my move, I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Queen's Knight in attack mode! Next, I summon King's Knight (1600/1400)! And since I summoned him with Queen's Knight on the field, I get to special summon Jack's Knight (1900/1000) from my deck! And now, I use Brave Attack!"

"I remember that card," muttered Rafael. "You used that card in your duel against Gurimo, which allowed the three Magnet Warriors to combine their attack strengths to defeat Obelisk."

"Yes, Brave Attack lets me add the attack points of all three of my monsters together, although they'll be destroyed after they attack."

"I see you still haven't learned your lesson about respecting your monsters."

"I won't listen to you any more. I believe in my relationship with my monsters! Knights, attack his Guardian Grarl!"

"I activate my trap card, Guardian Force! It lets me negate and destroy a spell card, as long as there are no Guardian monsters in my graveyard." The Knights immediately ceased their attack.

"I end my turn," said Pharaoh.

As Rafael drew he said, "You're going down. I equip Butterfly Dagger to my Backup Gardna, raising its attack points by 300. Plus, with Butterfly Dagger on the field, I can summon Guardian Elma (1300/1200)!"

"I've never seen that Guardian monster!"

"There are plenty of monsters in my deck you've never seen. Elma's effect allows me to bring my Guardian Shield back from the graveyard, and I equip it to Guardian Elma, increasing her defense by 300. Then, I use Backup Gardna's effect to transfer the Butterfly Dagger to Elma. Elma, destroy his Queen's Knight!"

3900/4000

"Grarl, destroy his King's Knight!"

2500/4000

"With that, I end my turn."

I crossed my arms, _"I hate to admit it, but Rafael is strong enough, even without using the Seal of Orichalcos. And if he _does_ use it…"_

"I draw," said Pharaoh, "And I use Five Star Twilight! Since Jack's Knight is a Level 5 monster, I can sacrifice it to summon the five Kuriboh Brothers (300/200)!"

"Oh, no, I'm so scared," Rafael sneered.

"And now I discard a trap from my hand to activate the Kuriboh Brothers' effect!" One of the Kuribohs sucked up the others, and rolled like a ball into Grarl. When it hit, it spilt back into the five Kuribohs, and Grarl lost 1500 attack points. "And now, I combine the five Kuribohs into Kuribabylon (1500/1000)!"

"Your powder puff and my Grarl have the same attack strength."

"I'm not finished yet. I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Gravity Axe, further weakening your monster! Now, I attack Guardian Grarl with Kuribabylon!"

"Not so fast! I use the effect of Guardian Shield! I can sacrifice it to save a monster from being destroyed, but I still take battle damage."

2500/3500

"Then I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," said Pharaoh, and Grarl's points returned to their original value. "Rafael, you have too much respect for your monsters to trust them with the darkness in your soul that using the Seal of Orichalcos would bring."

"My turn! Draw!" Rafael looked at his cards before replying, "You're right. But…that alone will not explain destiny. When you accept darkness and make it a part of you, and when you give up everything, for the first time, light appears in the darkness. We're similar, but we've chosen different paths. That's why you're unable to fully utilize your monsters." Holding up a card he said, "Let me show you the true power of this card. I play the Seal of Orichalcos!"

"Rafael, no!" we called out.

But he slid it in anyway, saying, "Your fate is sealed!" I didn't need to look behind me; I sensed my friends and the Kaiba Brothers arrived, and just a little too late. Rafael looked up, with his eyes glowing red and the seal on his forehead.

"What were you thinking!?" demanded Pharaoh. "Now one of us will lose his soul!"

"That's the point. I want to prove that the destiny Dartz guides me with is true. The power of the Orichalcos knows no equal. You might have had a taste of it in our last duel, but I'll show you what it can really do. Grarl, destroy his monster!"

1000/3500

"I play my trap, Rope of Life!" declared Pharaoh. "By discarding my hand, I can revive my monster with an additional 800 attack points!"

"Then I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"Now what?" wondered Téa.

"Yugi needs help," said Mokuba. "He's only got a thousand lifepoints left!"

"Big deal," I said. "He's won with fewer."

"Now," said Pharaoh, "I split my Kuribabylon back into the five Kuriboh Brothers! And then I fuse them into a new being: Kuribandit (1500/1000)!" Rafael laughed. "The last thing you should be doing is laughing. I play Dark Magic Curtain, allowing me to pay half my lifepoints to special summon Dark Magician (2500/2100)!"

500/3500

"Dark Magician, attack his Guardian Elma!"

"I play my trap, Guardian Formation! It moves my monster into the back row of the Orichalcos, where it's protected from attack by my other monsters. Furthermore, it lets me activate any equip spell in my deck, and I choose Celestial Sword – Eatos!"

I groaned. "Not her again!"

"I end my turn," said Pharaoh.

"I draw, and I summon Guardian Eatos (2500/1900)! If there are no monsters in my graveyard, Guardian Eatos can be summoned without a sacrifice." The monster had wings with feathers as white as a dove; until it felt the effect of the Orichalcos, and then the feathers turned black.

Pharaoh pointed to the dark Eatos and demanded, "Don't you care that you turned your monster into that?"

Rafael smirked. "You shouldn't be worrying about that now." Gardna's effect forced the Celestial Sword to equip to Eatos, raising her attack points by 300 more.

I growled softly. "That's the monster that beat Yugi last time. It gains power from the monsters in the opponent's graveyard!"

"I use the effect of Kuribandit," said Pharaoh, "allowing me to sacrifice him to draw five more cards, discarding any monsters I've drawn!" He picked up five cards, discarding the three monsters among them.

"Eatos!" yelled Rafael. "Take the power of his dead monsters!" Absorbing the power of the creatures in Pharaoh's graveyard, its attack points skyrocketed to 7000! "You're about to become a two-time loser, and this time you'll pay up with your soul! Eatos, attack the Dark Magician! Game over."

But instead, the sword bounced off of Dark Magician, and Eatos lost her extra 4000 attack points. "One of the monsters I just discarded was Electromagnetic Turtle (0/1800)," explained Pharaoh. "When Electromagnetic Turtle is in my graveyard, I can end your turn whenever I choose."

I breathed a sigh of relief. _"That was simply too close, Pharaoh. I was _this_ close to coughing up blood." _A second later, I did, and it splattered against the invisible wall of the Orichalcos. "…Disgusting."

"You shouldn't have used the Seal of Orichalcos," said Pharaoh.

Rafael scoffed. "Only someone like you, who's entrusted yourself to darkness, would think that."

"I draw, and play Big Shield Gardna (100/2600) in defense mode! Then I'll switch Dark Magician to defense as well, and set one card facedown, ending my turn."

"It's over, Pharaoh. You can't win a duel with defense; all you're doing is stalling for time."

"This isn't good," muttered Téa "Yugi has two monsters, while Rafael has four."

Mokuba nodded. "Yugi will be in danger of a direct attack!"

"Eatos, crush his Dark Magician!" ordered Rafael.

"I activate Magical Hats! It'll hide my monsters under four top hats!" Eatos' attack ended up destroying Big Shield Gardna instead.

"Alright!" said Tristan. "Rafael only has two more monsters in attack mode, so he can't attack directly!"

"But," I pointed out, "if Rafael destroys Dark Magician, Yugi won't have any more monsters on the field."

"Elma," yelled Rafael. "Destroy one of the hats!" An empty one bit the dust, but now Grarl had a 50-50 shot for success. "Grarl, attack another one!" But he ended up destroying another empty hat. "Well, my turn's not over yet. I equip my Backup Gardna with Rod of Silence, letting me play Guardian Kay'est (1000/1800) in defense mode. I end my turn."

Kaiba crossed his arms. "Things don't look good, but Yugi has forced the enemy onto a road of no return."

"First," said Pharaoh, "I play Graceful Charity!" I felt a Destiny Draw as he drew his three cards. Then, after he discarded two he declared, "I play the Eye of Timaeus! And I merge it with my Dark Magician to create Amulet Dragon (2900/2100)! My new dragon gets another 300 points for every spell in my graveyard, and there are eight, raising Amulet Dragon's attack to 5300! Amulet Dragon, destroy Guardian Eatos!" Rafael cried out as his monster was destroyed.

500/1200

"You're going to be sorry!" yelled Rafael. "No one sends my Guardian Eatos to the graveyard!" The Seal began to pulse.

"_The Seal is in turmoil,"_ I realized.

Pharaoh looked around, alarmed. "What's going on!?"

"Eatos is sleeping in the graveyard, but she will turn into a new soul and reappear. Eatos is immortal!" A chasm appeared before him, and a demented, half-mummified version of Eatos crawled out. "Say hello to Guardian Dreadscythe (2500/1900)!"

"Hello…and goodbye. It's no match for my dragon."

"The effect of Guardian Dreadscythe allows it to equip itself with a card from the graveyard, and I choose Reaperscythe, raising his attack points by 500 for every monster in my graveyard!" With the added boost from Orichalcos, he had 3500 attack points.

"Did you send Eatos to the graveyard on purpose?" asked Pharaoh.

"With Eatos in the graveyard, Dreadscythe can become a saint. But with Guardian Dreadscythe on the field, I can't summon any other monsters."

"…I end my turn."

"Then I switch my Dreadscythe to attack mode, and sacrifice all my other monsters to boost Dreadscythe's attack!"

"_He's lost himself,"_ I realized. _"Just like when Pharaoh played the card, he no longer cares about his monsters." _In the end, Dreadscythe's attack points were an astounding 5500.

"Dreadscythe, strike down his Amulet Dragon!"

300/1200

I noticed that even with the loss of his best card, Pharaoh's determination remained unchanged as he drew. _"Such is the mark of a true duelist. Let's see what he does next."_

"First," said Pharaoh, "I play Card of Sanctity, forcing the both of us to draw until we each hold six cards." After Pharaoh drew he said, "Since he was drawn with a card effect, I can special summon Watapon (200/300)! Then I sacrifice him to summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) in defense mode! Then I'll set one card and end my turn."

"I think it's time I ended this. I play the spell, Obedience, allowing me to force Dark Magician Girl into attack mode when I attack! Dreadscythe, attack and finish him!" As his monster charged, Dark Magician Girl switched her position.

"I play my facedown card, Magical Pigeon!" As the attack struck, Dark Magician Girl vanished, and a flock of pigeons appeared in her place. "Magical Pigeon can only be used with Dark Magician Girl. It protects her from attack by making her disappear for one turn."

"You're just stalling. I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn." A second later, Dark Magician Girl rematerialized. "Why is destiny playing tricks on me? What has been helping you?"

"I believe that before the end of the duel, we'll both change. In order for you to see that, I'll do my best in this duel."

Rafael smirked. "Will I change? My destiny is strange, isn't it?"

As Pharaoh drew he said, "I finally hear your cries. When Eatos went to the graveyard, when you sacrificed your monsters, your heart was crying."

"Why are you saying such strange things all of a sudden?"

"That's what my partner told me: if you don't intend to share the burden of darkness in others, you won't be able to understand the pain within them. I will share the burden of darkness within you. He'll wipe away your cries with this card." Raising it above his head he said, "I'll show you the monsters you sent to the graveyard. I play the spell, Underworld Circle!" Suddenly, the whole field was covered in darkness.

"_What's happening?"_ I thought. To my surprise, a girl that looked surprisingly similar to Dark Magician Girl appeared before me. I recognized her from a past vision as my mother, Mana. I was surprised that nobody else noticed her.

"_You're the only one who can see and hear me,"_ I heard her say, though I'm sure she didn't move her lips. She tapped me on the head, and these images of Rafael and Pharaoh appeared in my head, with them standing in a graveyard. There was also a younger Rafael, and the graves of his family. Then she disappeared.

"_Rafael doesn't want his monsters to have the same fate as his family,"_ I learned. _"That's why he's so afraid of the graveyard. That's the real Rafael."_

The fog in the barrier cleared, and Pharaoh's field was cleared; however, Rafael still had Dreadscythe on the field. Pharaoh grunted. "My Underworld Circle spell should have destroyed every monster on the field. It also forces us to remove every monster remaining in our decks. After that, we can only use monsters from our graveyards. So, why is Dreadscythe still on the field?"

"By discarding a card," explained Rafael, "I can bring Dreadscythe back. But it's not my choice: Dreadscythe will decide."

Téa shuddered. "A monster that can't be destroyed?"

I shook my head. "There's no such thing as an indestructible card."

"Thanks to my spell," said Pharaoh, "I have access to every monster in my graveyard. But because of Dreadscythe, _your_ graveyard is off-limits."

"There's no turning back. My destiny is one with Dreadscythe. I will throw myself to fate."

"With the power of Underworld Circle, I bring back my Dark Magician!"

Kaiba raised his eyebrow. "The dead are coming back to life."

Mokuba nodded. "As long as he can summon monsters from the graveyard, Yugi still has chance."

"I set one card," said Pharaoh. "Your turn."

Rafael drew and said, "You're done."

"Not as long as my spell's in play. I use Underworld Circle and bring back Jack's Knight!"

"Your puny monsters don't scare me! Dreadscythe, attack his Dark Magician!"

"I activate my trap, Zero Gravity! It switches the battle positions of all monsters on the field! That means everyone goes into defense mode!"

"Not for long. I play_ my_ trap, Spirit Hunting! It switches my monster back to attack mode! Dreadscythe, destroy his Dark Magician!" It vanished, along with Jack's Knight. "My trap also lets my monster destroy all other monsters in defense mode too. That's all."

"I draw, and use Underworld Circle to revive Dark Magician Girl! Then I play the spell, Altar of Restoration, which lets me bring back another monster from the graveyard by discarding two cards from the top of my deck. I bring back the Eye of Timaeus, merging it with Dark Magician Girl to form Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight (2600/2000)! Then I use her effect to destroy Dreadscythe!"

Unfortunately, his monster still stayed on the field. Rafael laughed as a card disappeared from his hand. "I told you, Dreadscythe is indestructible!"

"I set one card facedown and end my turn." As Rafael drew he added, "I use Underworld Circle to revive Queen's Knight!"

"Your strategy isn't working, Pharaoh. I discard a card from my hand to activate Orichalcos Sword of Sealing!" As Rafael threw out Monster Reborn, a sword struck Pharaoh's fused monster. "The sword seals Timaeus' special effect. Dreadscythe, finish him!" Pharaoh's monster was destroyed.

10/1200

Huffing and puffing, Pharaoh explained, "My trap card…Reduction Barrier…reduces the damage to ten percent. I'll fight until my last lifepoint is gone."

"Suit yourself, but soon your soul will belong to Dartz."

"You've been brainwashed, but I believe there's still good inside you, and I plan to bring it out. I draw, and use Underworld Circle to bring back Big Shield Gardna. Next, I use Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Next, I use Spider Web, which lets me use the card you discarded in your last turn: Monster Reborn, which I'll use to save you by setting you free from the darkness. I use Monster Reborn to revive Guardian Eatos! And finally, I use Claw of Hermos!"

I looked over and Joey, whose soulless body was held by Tristan. _"I knew I could count on you to watch over him, Oniisan."_

"I merge Hermos with Queen's Knight to form the Goddess Bow, which I equip to Guardian Eatos, doubling her attack to 5000! And since Eatos is not in your graveyard anymore, your monster loses 500 attack points."

Rafael frowned. "Just what are you up to? You can't change destiny."

"We'll see about that. Eatos, attack!" As Eatos pulled back her bow he explained, "Goddess Bow activates whenever the opponent's monster activates a special effect, and continues to attack." When Eatos struck with the first arrow, a card disappeared from Rafael's hand to resurrect it, causing Eatos to attack again, and the cycle repeated itself.

"Of course!" exclaimed Mokuba. "When Rafael runs out of cards, Dreadscythe can't come back!"

I gave a triumphant smirk. "Like I said, there's no such thing as an indestructible card." A final arrow struck Dreadscythe, and it disappeared, leaving behind a mask, which Eatos caught before she disappeared too. Rafael sank to his knees in shock.

"You can't become one with the darkness in your heart," said Pharaoh. "You couldn't face the fact that your family's gone, so you chose to throw in with Dartz and destiny. But the darkness in your heart is only an illusion. Your destiny hasn't been decided yet. You have to build it yourself."

"There's only one problem: the Seal of Orichalcos still needs a soul." He drew. "Now that Dreadscythe is gone, I can use Underworld Circle to revive Guardian Grarl. Next, I play the spell, Soul Charge, letting me summon more monsters from my graveyard. Come back: Backup Gardna, Guardian Elma, and Guardian Kay'est!"

"Whoa, he has four monsters!" exclaimed Tristan.

"But," Kaiba pointed out, "any monster summoned by Soul Charge can't attack for one turn."

Rafael smiled. "That's it. My graveyard is empty, and my Guardians are free. But each monster I brought back from the grave cost me 500 points."

My eyes widened. "How admirable. He was so devoted to his monsters that he gave his life to protect them."

10/0

"Rafael!" called out Pharaoh as the seal shrunk around Rafael. I looked up, and saw Eatos and the rest of the guardians, back to their untainted selves. "You made the right choice: the darkness has lifted."

"You're right. Thank you." Suddenly, the Orichalcos fragment around his next shattered, and the seal disappeared.

To our pleasant surprise, Rafael was still conscious. "What happened to the seal?" asked Téa.

"Yugi, did you destroy it?" asked Kaiba.

Rafael looked around, completely confused. "Why…why isn't my soul taken away?"

Pharaoh thought for a minute. "…I have a theory. The Seal of Orichalcos is powered by the darkness within the person who plays it. But you were able to conquer that darkness, so your soul was spared."

I placed my arms in my pockets. "Well, that's rather lucky." I walked over to Tristan and said, "If you want, I can carry him for a while."

As Tristan helped Joey onto my back he said, "Careful, he's kind of heavy."

"He ain't heavy: he's Oniisan." Suddenly, the building began to shake. "What's that?!"

Rafael shakily stood up. "Get out while you can!" We ran to the elevator, but the roof split and a huge chasm appeared, causing the elevator to collapse.

"MR. KAIBA!" We turned to the source of the noise, and looked up to the helicopter landing pad a level up from us, and saw Kaiba's helicopter. We quickly followed Mokuba up a narrow flight of stairs on the side of the building, while Pharaoh escorted Rafael to the top.

Just before Pharaoh and Rafael they reached the top, the stairs broke loose. I quickly set down Joey in the helicopter and ran to the side to see Rafael grabbing the railing, holding onto Pharaoh. "Pharaoh! Rafael! Give me your hand and I'll help you up!"

"No thanks," said Rafael. He pulled free from Pharaoh, then grabbed him and threw him up over the edge beside me. A second later, the stairs completely fell away, and he barely managed to save himself by grabbing hold of the side of the building. "Go!"

Pharaoh ran over and knelt down over Rafael. "I won't leave you!"

Rafael pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to Pharaoh, though I couldn't see what it was. "Go and change destiny with your own hands."

Pharaoh reached out and yelled, "Please, take my hand!"

I grabbed Pharaoh's other arm and said, "We can't reach him, Pharaoh! I'm sorry, but there's no more time!"

"He's right," agreed Rafael. "Go while you can." Then the piece of the building he clung to broke off, and he fell.

"RAFAEL!" screamed Pharaoh.

"We have to go NOW!" I ordered, pulling him towards the now-flying helicopter, and leaping onto the rear ramp.

"Rafael," whispered Pharaoh as we flew off. We were about 100 yards from the building when it completely collapsed…and showed a different building within it.

"Bloody hell," I muttered. "It's like an ancient temple."

"I guess that's what Paradias headquarters really looks like," said Tristan.

Pharaoh nodded. "I think there's more to Dartz than meets the eye, as well." He looked at the object that Rafael threw to him, and held it out to Kaiba. "Take a look at this. It's some sort of computer chip."

Kaiba took the chip and examined it. Then he slipped it into his PDA. "…It's a map."

"To where?" asked Mokuba.

"To Dartz," I guessed.

Kaiba tossed the PDA to Roland in the cockpit. "Follow this map."

"Um…" said the pilot. "I'm afraid to inform you all that…we're surrounded." We looked out the various windows, and discovered that we were indeed covered by several helicopters.

One of the pilots in the other helicopters gestured in a direction. "I think they want us to follow them," said Mokuba.

I sighed. "As if we had a choice. But where exactly are we going?"

**End Chapter**

What has become of Rafael, and what will happen to Loki and the gang? And what happened to Shizuka and her companions after her duel? No worries: you'll find out soon.


	13. And Then She Kissed Me…

**Loki's Eyes**

I studied the helicopters that transported us to wherever we were going. "…They look like military choppers," I said. "So, they're probably not with Dartz: that's the good news."

"But what military are they with?" asked Tristan. "What if it's one of those countries filled with white slavers!?"

"Stupid. Why would they hijack a helicopter just for _that_ reason?"

Téa pointed out the open rear of the helicopter. "Um, guys?"

We looked, and there appeared to be a dark cloud rapidly approaching us. When it caught up to us, it turned out to be an entire swarm of insects! As it passed, one of them hit Tristan in the face. Kaiba reached out and caught one of them. "A locust army?"

"_I've a bad feeling about this,"_ I thought. _"The story of Moses told of ten plagues that hit Egypt: locusts were the eighth, and if we're skipping ahead that rapidly, then the next would very likely be…"_ I looked worriedly at all my friends, and Kaiba. _"They're _all_ firstborn, aren't they?"_

Eventually, we landed on an aircraft carrier. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the American flag. When we climbed out, we were greeted by a uniformed officer. "Are you Doma's men?" asked Kaiba.

The man gave a salute and answered, "Mr. Kaiba, we've been watching Doma for some time, and all of you. We know that many of the phenomena now happening all over the world are related to Doma. But, because the country's central rule is now under the control of Doma, we haven't been given the authority to attack."

"So, Doma is controlling this country's politics?" asked Pharaoh.

"I'm ashamed to admit it, but the fate of the world is now in your hands."

"Hmph," muttered Kaiba. "National authority is unreliable from the start."

"At least let us accompany you halfway, and also help stock up your helicopter."

The journey to Dartz's hideout took half a day. In the middle of it, I sat five feet from the edge of the carrier, looking across the ocean, not moving. I felt the Pharaoh's presence as he walked up to me. "Are you alright?" he asked.

I looked up at him and replied, "I thought I should be asking _you_ that. We're the same, you and I: we're both missing our better halves."

Pharaoh nodded in understanding. "You miss Shizuka, and I miss Yugi. But your feelings for her run deeper."

I was surprised for a second, but then I remembered that he was one of the few people who actually knew about us. "Yeah. I want to say those three words that express how I feel about her, but I'm afraid to. Now, I'm more afraid that I won't see her again." I gave a sad sigh. "I swear that if she comes back, I'll tell her those words."

To our complete shock, Shizuka appeared in the air in front of me, and fell on my lap. She seemed equally surprised, either with the meeting or the landing. "…Hey, Loki-Sensei," she greeted.

"Uh…hi." I quickly shook off my surprise and embraced her. "Shizuka! I'm so happy you're back!"

"I'm happy to be back." She got off my lap and said, "Here, let me introduce you to the parallel you." A second later, I heard a loud crashing noise behind me. I turned and saw a girl, two boys, and a huge suit of armor. "The boy in the red coat is Edward, the metal armor is his little brother Alphonse, the girl is Winry, and the other boy is Daisuke."

Pharaoh was wide-eyed. "How did you all appear like that?" he asked as I got up.

Daisuke rose to his feet and replied, "I could explain it to you, or I could help you save the world. The card Pegasus gave you: you have it?" Pharaoh reached into his coat and pulled it out. "Shizuka, touch the card."

Shizuka shrugged and gently tapped the card, and it glowed for a brief moment. "What did that do?"

"Put simply, you finished your quest. When the Pharaoh has that card in his deck in his next duel, it'll reveal its true form."

Ed rose to his feet. "That's it? _That's_ the climatic ending I've been waiting for; a small flash of light!?"

Ignoring his statement, Daisuke said, "And with that, I can finally return to the afterlife."

I frowned. "Already? You didn't even get a chance to bask in my glory." I chuckled softly. "The name's-"

"Loki Admin," he completed. "The one whose body I occupy; he told me your name."

"Do I know him?"

"Could be. Well, I'll see you on the other side." It was the strangest thing ever; as if he was made of sand, he flew off the corporeal body with the wind.

Daisuke was correct; I did recognize him. "You…you're that boy I met in Dracula's Castle, aren't you?"

He nodded. "Shayne Driver. It's a name you should remember." With a slight bow he said, "The name of your most powerful servant."

"Why do you help me?"

Driver game me a smug grin. "If you were dying of thirst in the desert and I offered you a drink, would you ask the same thing? I help, and that's all you need to know. Don't concern yourself with 'why'; think only of 'when'. And the answer to that is 'soon'." Then he leapt off the ship and disappeared.

I scratched my head._ "Why do I make friends with the weirdest people?"_

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

During our trip, Shizuka and I sat next to each other and shared long and confusing stories about what we did; namely, she told me how much powerful she'd become through her trials, and I told her that I was an entity born between the hearts of Tom Galloway and the Sorcerer Loki.

"But Shizuka," I murmured, "while my heart may not be real in the traditional sense, I know how I feel about you." I took a deep breath in preparation for the words that I was so frightened to say. "…I love you, Shizuka Wheeler. I've been in love with you for a while, but I was too scared to admit it."

Shizuka smiled. "And it took you only two months to admit it."

I blushed. "You knew?"

"I first noticed it in Noah's virtual world. Afterwards, it seemed a little obvious if you look close enough."

"I guess so. Even Téa and Yugi figured it out." To my surprise, Shizuka gave me a peck on the cheek. "Shizuka…you…"

She giggled. "I've been in love with you too, silly, and a lot longer. I'm surprised you haven't picked up on it."

"Well, I only suspected. I wanted to keep a student/teacher relationship between us, but it just isn't good enough for me."

"I know." Shizuka stood up. "That's why I'm going to have to quit being your apprentice."

"But you can't! I really want you to become better than-"

"And I am. If you don't believe me, I know exactly how to prove it."

I grinned. "So, you're going to duel me for the title now?"

Pharaoh looked up when I said that. "You too are going to duel?"

"That's right. And Shizuka seems to believe she can defeat me. That means she probably can. Go find the others; I'm sure they'll enjoy the sight of Shizuka kicking my ass."

Pharaoh nodded and ran off. Shizuka raised her eyebrow. "You really want an audience to see this?"

"Why not? I like to show off the fruits of my training, whether I'm training myself or training you."

"I think you need to do something about your ego. …Or better yet, _I'll_ do something about it," she said as she activated her Duel Disk.

"That's the spirit."

As the others gathered, Shizuka gave me a sly look. "Good luck: that's the only thing that'll bail you out of this."

I frowned; if there was one thing I wouldn't tolerate from anyone, it was the insinuation that I win by luck. "Shut up and fight me, Shizuka," I said as I activated my Duel Disk.

4000/4000

"Ladies first," she declared. "I activate Magical Mallet, which lets me shuffle any number of cards in my hand to my deck, and then draw the same amount. I think I'll go with two." After she drew two new cards she said, "Next, I'll summon Mechanical Chaser (1850/800) in attack mode, and set three cards facedown. Your move."

"Well, since you have a monster on your field and I don't, I can Special Summon my Cyber Dragon (2100/1000) in attack mode! Then I summon Mataza the Zapper (1300/800)! And finally, I use Heavy Storm to blow all your set cards away!"

Shizuka smirked. "I guess it's in my best interest to activate them now, isn't it? I chain your card with Ring of Destruction! It lets me destroy one monster on the field, and then we each take damage equal to its attack points. I actually planned on using it on my monster, but I think I'll target your Cyber Dragon!"

As my monster went up in smoke I said, "It's not good enough, Shizuka!"

"That's why I'm using Barrel behind the Door! It'll take the damage I'd receive, and give it to you instead!"

I flinched. "But that means instead of both of us taking 2100…"

"_You_ take 4200!" she finished. "Goodbye." The suddenly explosion blew me off my feet, and I hit the ground hard.

0/4000

Everyone just stared in awe at one of the most improbable things ever. There was Shizuka, known to be a timid girl who'd rather sit on the sidelines and cheer; there was me, known to be a powerful duelist who defeated Kaiba _and_ Yugi, and even gave the Pharaoh a hard time. And somehow, I was at her feet, lying in a puddle of blood I coughed up.

"Whoa, man!" muttered Tristan. "When did Shizuka become so strong?"

"She certainly grew a lot since the duel with Nesbitt," agreed Pharaoh.

I shakily climbed to my feet, trying to grasp what just happened; I expected this would likely happen, but it still was difficult for me to completely wrap my head around at that moment. "Loki Admin…the Selkirk Rex…defeated on his first turn…by Shizuka!? It's…it's…SPECTACULAR! You've done very well, Shizuka."

"I…won," she managed to say. "I just…I never…"

I took her hands. "Take your time, Shizuka. There's no hurry for it to sink in…Selkirk Rex."

Shizuka giggled slightly. "Don't call me that! Actually, if it's all the same to you, would you mind if I _didn't_ use that title?"

"Whatever you want…Shizuka-sama." I smirked. "Selkirk Rex fits me better, anyway."

Shizuka waved her finger at me. "You don't get the title back _that_ easily. If you want it, you have to win it, just like I did."

"Eventually, I'll have to defeat you again."

**000000000  
Loki's Eyes**

"I know Joey and Mai lost their souls," Shizuka suddenly said to me, a few minutes before we reached our destination.

"…I'm sorry. I really wanted to protect Oniisan, but I was too late."

"Just after I read the inscription on the Sword of Infinity, my friends and I were floating in an infinite abyss. I don't know how long we were there, but Joey appeared before us, and guided us to you. He then vanished, and we ended up here. Before he left he said, 'You're lucky to have such a great guy who loves you'. I guess he knew about your feelings too?"

"Yeah, I broke down and told him. I expected him to vent his anger on me, so I was extremely surprised when he was actually happy for us."

"Well, he just wants his little sister to be happy."

I smiled. "Well, that makes two of us." Then I frowned and turned away. "…I also want you to be safe. That's why I think we should leave Dartz to Pharaoh and Kaiba; I hate saying that, and it left a bitter taste in my mouth, but they're the ones with the Dragons."

"I know," she agreed. "My quest wasn't to defeat Dartz. I just handed the other Yugi his sword; it's _his_ duty to ride into battle. I admit that I'm not entirely happy with my role, but I'm proud of what I accomplished. …It's easy to be the hero in a play; the hard part is being a support character."

"Very profound." I stood up and leaned against the wall. "It reminds me of something Shakespeare said. 'All the world's a stage, and all the people on it merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.' In this play, we take the role of supporting cast."

Shizuka stood up and put a hand on the wall, beside my head. "But next time will be different, won't it?"

I grinned; her ambition was an unexpected turn-on. "Damn straight. Soon, the world will be safe, and Joey and Yugi will return. And once they're back, _they'll_ be the ones in the backseat. They'll be like flowers, in a way."

"That's because if they enter our path, they'll be mercilessly crushed underfoot, right?"

"Exactly. I've never noticed it before, but your aura's developing a nice shade. Can you still give me an innocent look?" She did so. "You can be innocent _and_ evil at the same time. I think there's a nice place on the dark side just for us."

"We're beyond good and evil, aren't we?"

"We're in the twilight zone, baby. We fight for what _we_ think is right, and for the people _we_ think are worth it. We teeter on the line twixt light and darkness. We're neither good nor evil: we're for each other." Then we kissed, long and slow.

"Ahem!" said Téa. "Sorry, to cut your moment short, but the Captain wants to talk to us."

"Pity," said Shizuka. "We'll just have to finish this later."

We all gathered at the helicopter where the ship's Captain said, "This is as far as I can go. From here on, you're on your own. I hope you can win, Mr. Kaiba."

"Thanks," muttered Kaiba.

"My son is a big fan of Duel Monsters. Please, protect the future of our children!"

Kaiba nodded and turned to Roland. "Move out!" The helicopter came to life, we climbed inside, and we took off.

I looked at out destination through one of the windows. There was a vicious storm, at the center of which was an island. I said to Shizuka, "Hold onto me; this could get rough." As soon as we hit the storm, the helicopter started tumbling back and forth, tossing its occupants back and forth.

Only Kaiba and I were able to remain seated without difficulty, and Joey's body was securely strapped into the seats. At least, I sat until little Edward hit me, and I fell onto Shizuka. I froze, realizing my head was pressed against her boobs. Shizuka looked at me and joked, "Can't wait for the first date either, huh?"

Kaiba used the radio on his lapel and said, "We should have been at the island by now."

"It's impossible!" the pilot answered. "We can't go any closer!"

"Everyone, stay calm!" instructed Pharaoh. "The twister is pulling us over." A second later, the storm parted and the island was completely visible. As we flew to a huge temple in the center he said, "Dartz is there."

Kaiba nodded. "Let's go." A minute later, we set down just outside a set of steps leading to the temple.

Once we climbed out, I turned to the alchemists and said, "I never thanked you properly for keeping an eye on Shizuka, so…thank you properly."

"Smartass," said Edward.

"Do me a favor and guard this helicopter. Oniisan is inside, and I'll be disappointed if any harm comes to him." With that, the rest of us went inside the temple.

**End Chapter**

At last, Loki and Shizuka have revealed their feelings (took 'em long enough), and Loki's ambition of being defeated by his student has been realized. But the victory is short-lived, for the final battle draws near…


	14. Return of the Knights

**Shizuka's Eyes**

The interior was very strange to me. There were tons of curving corridors, twisting and turning throughout. It was like we were traveling to the belly of a giant snake. I gripped Loki's hand tightly, a little afraid to separate from him. He squeezed me back.

When we reached an altar with three open-mouthed serpents carved of stone, Kaiba suddenly stopped. "Why do I feel so sad?"

"Yes, I feel it too," agreed Pharaoh. Turning to the rest of us he said, "Stay back from us."

Loki nodded and backed up, pulling me back with him. "He's right. I'm starting to feel something as well," he said as tears fell from his eyes.

Watching him like that hurt me. "Is that why you're crying?"

"No, I'm crying because your nails are digging into my hand." That, of course, hurt me even more, so I quickly released him. I made a mental note to find a nail clipper after this.

Eventually, we arrived in a rather large room, filled with pictures of people, chiseled in stone. "What's with all these people?" asked Tristan.

Téa gasped and pointed to a corner of the wall. "They're not just any people!"

I suddenly saw what she meant. "It's Mai! And Weevil!"

Loki looked around. "There's Rex and Oniisan! Rayth's there too! Everyone who lost their soul must be in this room!"

Pharaoh looked around until he saw, "YUGI!"

He started running over, but stopped when we heard Dartz say, "I've been waiting for you." A ball of flame appeared in the center of the room, and turned into Dartz. "Welcome to my temple. If I can get the souls of powerful people like you, my god will bless you, too."

"Your god only brings trouble," said Kaiba.

"I can feel the power of your souls. I will set aside special places for you." Two of the carvings next to Yugi became blank.

Kaiba scoffed. "Ridiculous. We've defeated Doma's Three Swordsmen."

Pharaoh nodded. "You're the only one left."

Dartz smiled. "It's true they were defeated, but using their souls as a sacrifice has always been my plan. But it's not enough. To revive my god, he needs yours and Kaiba's souls."

"Give up your useless fight, and release those trapped souls!"

"You'll have to defeat me first, Nameless Pharaoh. Look around." The room was now completely illuminated, and we saw just how big the room is. And on every square foot was a picture of another of Dartz's victims. There must've been thousands of them.

"So this is why this place makes me feel so sad," murmured Kaiba.

"I've been gathering souls for ten thousand years. That's also why I'm still standing here."

"Enough. It's useless to talk any further."

Loki clenched his fist. "Take down that righteous soul junkie!"

"A duel is a kind of ritual where souls are used as the stakes," said Dartz as a Duel Disk appeared on his arm. "I'll duel you together, and get two souls for the price of one." Pharaoh and Kaiba replied by activating their Duel Disks in unison. "Let the games commence!"

4000/4000/**4000**

"I'll go first," said Kaiba. "I play the White Dragon Ritual, sacrificing my Vorse Raider to play Paladin of White Dragon (1900/1200)! Then I use the effect of my monster, sacrificing him to play Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)! I end my turn."

Pharaoh drew. "I use the spell, Black Luster Ritual, sacrificing Valkyrion the Magna Warrior to play Black Luster Soldier (3000/2500)! Then I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

"_Good start,"_ I thought.

But Dartz only smirked. "I see you want me to worry about which one I should duel with." He raised the cursed card above his head. "Behold the power that will strip you of your souls: the Seal of Orichalcos!" The Seal expanded to surround their duel, and I felt some strange feeling.

"Did you feel that?" asked Mokuba.

Tristan nodded. "Dartz is taking this very seriously. Even an outsider like me can feel it."

"And now," said Dartz, "I play Orichalcos Gigas (400/400) in defense mode!"

Pharaoh turned to Kaiba. "I've faced this beast before. This monster has the ability of never dying."

Kaiba grinned. "It won't be interesting if Dartz is not such an opponent."

"And now," said Dartz, "I pay 500 lifepoints to play Orichalcos Kyutora (500/500) in the back row! That will do for now."

4000/4000/**3500**

Kaiba drew and laughed. "If what you said about Doma is true, then you should be the winner of the duel. But now, you only have two useless monsters. Victory is already in my hands! I don't know how strong you are as a duelist, but don't forget: you're pitting yourself against the strongest duelists in the world! I play Polymerization, fusing my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons into Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800)!" Turning to Pharaoh he said, "Yugi, if you're a True Duelist, you should have the card to summon the monster that will finish Dartz."

"Right," said Pharaoh as he drew. "Dartz, you'll never withstand the combined power of mine and Kaiba's dueling decks. I play _my_ Polymerization, fusing Kaiba's dragon with Black Luster Soldier to form Master of Dragon Soldier (5000/5000)!"

Loki looked in awe at their creation. "Even as I searched for the God Cards, I never once thought I'd see this monster played in a duel."

"And now," said Pharaoh, "I activate my trap, Meteorain! With this trap, when I attack, the difference between my monster's attack points and your monster's defense points will be deducted from your lifepoints!"

"The difference is more than 3500!" exclaimed Téa.

"Your twisted game is done!" declared Pharaoh.

"Master of Dragon Soldier, end this duel!" yelled Kaiba.

Together they shouted, "Galaxy crusher!" Master of Dragon Soldier blasted Orichalcos Gigas away.

Dartz laughed. "It's impossible to beat me!" A beam of light rose, and expanded beyond the seal. A second later, they all disappeared.

"Where did they go!?" I asked.

Loki closed his eyes. "...Strange. I actually sense they're right in front of us, but it's very faint." He cautiously took a step forward and touched where the barrier of the seal was. "Still there; we just can't see it."

"Or them," added Téa.

"I think they may have gone through time. They're probably standing in this very position in another time, which is why I still feel the barrier. The Orichalcos must be omnipresent." A second later, they all reappeared. "See, they're back! …But Dartz hasn't lost any lifepoints from that attack."

"Indeed," agreed Dartz. "That's because my Kyutora absorbs all battle damage. Now it's my turn." Orichalcos Gigas reappeared on his field with 500 more attack points. "Each time Gigas is destroyed, it comes back even stronger. Since Gigas returned, I can't draw this turn, but it doesn't matter: I have everything I need to defeat you in my hand. I'll enhance the power of the Seal of Orichalcos with this: the spell card, Orichalcos Deuteros!" A wave swept over the field, and Loki was thrown back as another barrier appeared outside the first. "Welcome to the second level of darkness!"

"Another layer!?" asked Loki. "Now what!?"

"The first benefit of Orichalcos Deuteros is the addition of 500 lifepoints each turn for every monster I have on the field. Since I have two, I now get another 1000 points."

4000/4000/**4500**

Kaiba angrily grunted. "How are we supposed to wipe him out!?"

"You're not. Orichalcos Gigas, attack Master of Dragon Soldier!"

"Why's he doing that?" asked Tristan. "A monster with 1400 attack points can't beat something with 5000." As expected, Gigas was destroyed, but Kyutora absorbed the damage, and Gigas came back with 1900 attack points. "So, that's it! He's letting his Gigas get its butt kicked on purpose, so it can come back stronger."

"Doubtful," said Loki as he walked back to my side. "That'd take seven more attacks for it to outmuscle Master of Dragon Soldier. There's something deeper going on."

"My move," said Kaiba. "I set one card facedown, and summon Blade Knight (1600/1000)! Since I only have one card left in my hand, Blade Knight gets another 400 attack points. I end my turn." Pharaoh and Kaiba nodded to each other, and Pharaoh drew. "I play my trap, Reflect Energy! It lets me sacrifice one monster to let another monster attack directly!"

"Master of Dragon Soldier," said Pharaoh, "Attack Dartz directly!"

"I activate the effect of Orichalcos Deuteros! I'll tribute my Orichalcos Gigas to nullify the damage and destroy the attacking monster!" Gigas disappeared, and the dragon's own attack did a U-turn and flew back to its source.

"I activate my De-Fusion!" declared Pharaoh. Master of Dragon Soldier split back into Black Luster Soldier and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and the attack fizzled out.

Dartz frowned. "You almost didn't make it in time."

Pharaoh groaned. "Because of Orichalcos Deuteros, we can't attack directly, either."

"But we still have the strongest monsters on the field," pointed out Kaiba.

"Is that so?" challenged Dartz. "I know everything, whether it's a human weakness or a strong point; you two are no exception. The greatest weaknesses you have are yourselves."

Loki whispered to me, "That's the mother of all universal statements." I nodded in agreement.

Dartz drew and smiled. "I play the spell, Orichalcos Mirror, sacrificing a card in my hand to play Mirror Knight Calling (0/0)! This, in turn, lets me call forth four Mirror Knights (0/0)!" Of course, all of his monsters gained 500 attack points from the Orichalcos. "You'll never get past my Mirror Knights, and thanks to Orichalcos Deuteros, I gain another 3000 lifepoints!"

4000/4000/**7500**

"This stinks," I muttered.

Dartz pointed to his monsters. "Pay close attention to the reflections in the mirrors the Knights hold. Each mirror reflects someone or something on your side of the field, which determines their attack points." One reflected Black Luster Soldier, one reflected Ultimate Dragon, one reflected Pharaoh, and the last reflected Kaiba. "Attack!" The ones copying the monsters destroyed the reflected monsters, while the ones copying the duelists attacked directly.

3500/3500/**7500**

"I don't get it!" said Tristan. "If the attack points are the same, Dartz's monsters should be destroyed, too!" However, only the shields of the monsters were destroyed. And a second later, a beam of light shot from Mirror Knight Calling, and the shields reformed.

"Oh!" exclaimed Mokuba. "It's that card that's shielding them!"

"As long as Mirror Knight Calling remains of the field," said Dartz, "My Knights' shields will always return, so they can't be destroyed."

"We'll see," said Kaiba as he drew. "I activate Card of Demise! It lets me draw five new cards, as long as I discard my hand five turns later. Next, I play Silent Doom, letting me bring back a monster in my graveyard in defense mode. Return, Blade Knight!" Once it reappeared on his field he said, "Now, I sacrifice my monster to summon Kaiser Glider (2400/2200) in attack mode! Lastly, I'll set one card facedown, ending my turn."

"Impressive," admired Dartz. "Kaiser Glider is safe from any monster with the same number of attack points, so my Knights can't crush it."

"For my move," said Pharaoh, "I'll set one card facedown, and play Big Shield Gardna (100/2600) in defense mode, ending my turn."

"It's my move," said Dartz, "And I gain another 3000 lifepoints from Deuteros!"

3500/3500/**10500**

Pharaoh turned to Kaiba. "We have to stop him, and fast!"

"Agreed. That's why I activate my Ring of Destruction trap!" Pointing to Dartz he said, "Your Mirror Knights are only protected as long as Mirror Knight Calling is in play, so I use Ring of Destruction to destroy it!"

3500/3000/10000

"Now, when the Mirror Knights are destroyed, they can't come back." Dartz only smiled.

The helmets of the knights shattered, and we were all horrified to see what was underneath them: Yugi, Joey, Mai, and Pegasus! "I control the souls of your companions. Attack my Knights, and you'll be attacking your friends. No matter what you do, you lose: it's impossible to defeat me without destroying these monsters, and you can't destroy my Knights without destroying the souls of your friends!"

"Partner…" murmured Pharaoh.

"What's the meaning of this!?" demanded Kaiba.

Dartz smiled. "Since I now control the souls of your former friends, I thought it would be fun to let them play along."

Loki angrily punched the seal. "Release them!" he demanded.

"Why? You should be thanking me for giving you one last chance to see the souls of your companions before they're gone forever."

I put my hand on Loki's shoulder, gently pulling him back. "You said yourself," I whispered, "that using your hatred against his hatred will only make things worse."

"I know," he growled, "but Dartz is an easy man to hate."

Pharaoh clenched his fist. "I'll never let you take them away, Dartz."

"That's it; feed your anger," coaxed Dartz. "Let it consume you, and feel the darkness spread within you! The stronger your rage, the more powerful the Great Leviathan will be when it absorbs your soul. Yugi, attack the Pharaoh directly!"

"Yugi, please, fight it!"

Yugi looked blank, but I could see he was struggling to keep himself from raising his sword. "It's touching that Yugi is still loyal to you, even though you turned your back on him. That will soon change. I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"Alright," said Kaiba. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards! Then I play Cost Down, letting me sacrifice a card in my hand to downgrade all monsters by two levels. And that lets me summon Different Dimension Dragon (1200/1500) without a sacrifice! Its special effect is that it can't be destroyed by any monster with less than 1900 attack points. And don't forget that Kaiser Glider can't be destroyed by your Knights, either. Kaiser Glider, attack Mai!"

"Wait, Kaiba!" yelled Pharaoh.

"If this is a trap set to deal with me, I'll counterattack. It doesn't matter who it is: I'll destroy anyone who stands in my way."

"Please, don't do this!"

"It's just a trick of Dartz's."

"_I hope to God you're right, Kaiba,"_ I thought, holding Loki's hand.

Kaiba turned to Dartz. "Where will the Mirror Knights go after they're destroyed?"

Dartz shrugged. "I don't know, and it wouldn't be any use to you even if I knew."

"If that's so, I won't stand on ceremony. Kaiser Glider, continue your attack!" Mai's shield was destroyed in the blast. "One more attack, and she's gone. Different Dimension Dragon, finish her!"

Suddenly, Joey leapt in front of Mai and blocked his attack, losing his shield in the process. Dartz laughed. "Joey saved Mai without knowing what he was doing. Their friendship has helped me."

Kaiba grunted. "I should've known Wheeler would mess things up. I set one card facedown and end my turn." As Pharaoh drew he said, "You know what you have to do to win: crush Wheeler and Mai."

"…No. I end my turn."

"Yugi, you…if we lose because of you, you'll regret this!"

"Damnation," snarled Loki. "Dartz is playing on the Pharaoh's biggest weakness: his inability to harm his friends.

"You've had your chance!" declared Dartz as he drew. "And now, I gain 2500 lifepoints from Deuteros!"

3500/3000/12500

"Now I play the spell, Twin Centaur Bow!" A double-ended Centaur appeared above the field, with an arrow pointing towards each side of the field. "I choose two monsters – one from each side of the field – and my Centaur will randomly remove one of them from the game, and inflict damage equal to the chosen monster's attack points. I select your Kaiser Glider, and Joey."

"Oh, no!" cried Tristan. "If the arrow chooses Joey, we'll never get him back!"

"But if it chooses Kaiser Glider," added Mokuba, "Seto will lose most of his lifepoints!"

Dartz snapped his fingers, and the arrow pointing to Kaiser Glider burst into flame. It pierced Kaiba's monster and struck him too.

3500/600/12500

"But there's an upside," said Dartz. "By using this card, I have to automatically end my turn."

"Now," snarled Kaiba as he drew, "I'll do what that Siamese donkey should've done last turn. Different Dimension Dragon, attack Joey! Wheeler, if you still have the pride of a duelist, then fight!"

"Oniisan!" cried Loki. However, Yugi jumped in front of Joey and intercepted the attack, losing his mirror shield in the process.

Dartz laughed. "Maybe friendship _does_ conquer all. And, thanks to your friends' loyalty to one another, I'll be able to conquer the both of you."

"For my turn," said Pharaoh, "I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon to blow away your Twin Bow Centaur! Turn end."

"You wasted your turn destroying a creature I no longer need. I summon Orichalcos Malevolence (1500/600)! And now, Deuteros gives me more lifepoints!"

3500/600/15500

"But if the attack from that monster hits…" muttered Loki.

"I'll make sure your soul is put to good use. I attack your Different Dimension Dragon with Orichalcos Malevolence!"

"Brother!" screamed Mokuba.

Kaiba snapped his fingers. "I play my trap, Attack Guidance Armor! It switches your target to Big Shield Gardna, and raises his defense by 600!" The attack was easily repelled.

"No matter," replied Dartz. "Kyutora absorbs the damage, so I'm unharmed. Besides, Big Shield Gardna switches into attack mode with its effect."

"But thanks to Kaiba's trap," Pharaoh pointed out, "your turn is now over."

"You owe me one," said Kaiba as he drew. "I switch my monster to defense mode, set two cards, and end my turn." Turning to Pharaoh he said, "If you want to win this duel, you're going to have to attack those Mirror Knights."

To our surprise, Yugi was able to say, "Other me…don't worry about me. You have a more important mission."

"Partner?"

"Look!" supported Kaiba. "The Mirror Knights accept that they'll disappear!"

"Get going," said Dartz. "Everyone is waiting."

Pharaoh closed his eyes. "…I switch Big Shield Gardna back to defense mode, and set one card. That's all."

"You're making me angry," warned Kaiba.

"You're controlled by destiny, anyway," said Dartz. "Be good and accept your fate." At that moment, we heard the roar of a motorcycle. A second later, Rafael rode in from another corridor.

Loki smiled. "So, you survived! Welcome back!"

Rafael got off his bike and said, "Dartz-sama, please stop; this is meaningless. There's indeed darkness in the hearts of people, but it can be overcome."

Dartz raised his eyebrow. "I never thought I would hear this from you."

"I conquered the darkness in my heart because of the Nameless Pharaoh. Please, set free the souls of the Mirror Knights, and Valon and Alistair."

"Do you really think you've been freed from the darkness in your heart?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hatred, sorrow, and despair: these can certainly dispel the darkness of the heart."

"If that's the case, then why are you doing this!?"

"Because that's not the true nature of humanity. The darkness in man will disappear only temporarily. Take a look at this room," instructed Dartz, indicating all the lost souls. "These are strong people who tried to show that they could dispel the darkness from their hearts. But they showed that humanity can only dispel the darkness temporarily. Humans are weak, and they still can't do it."

"You're wrong! The Pharaoh and his friends showed me with their tenacity, and my heart will never be taken to the dark side again."

"Well said!" cheered Tristan. "This way, it's worth it for Yugi to stake his life."

Dartz laughed. "The darkness in the heart is actually about unfairness. Is humanity fair?"

"Isn't it?" I asked.

"…Generally, yes," admitted Dartz. "But some have a good life and some suffer; some are talented and some are loathed. That's unfair."

"Big deal," said Loki. "Nobody can honestly say life is fair! It's everyone's job so suck it up and deal with it."

"My point exactly. This unfairness is why there is darkness in the heart, and people_ can't_ overcome that fact."

"Dartz-sama," said Rafael.

"That's why I must save the world. I must create humans who can conquer their darkness. You, Valon, Alistair, and even Rayth were born in a world of darkness. They have powerful souls, and were blessed with this fate because of me." He pointed to Alistair. "Let's start with Alistair. He lost a beloved brother due to the Kaiba family."

Téa turned to Mokuba, surprised. "Is that true?"

"It is," murmured Mokuba.

"Wrong," said Dartz with a smile. "Kaiba's father didn't do a thing: it was me all along, pretending to be Gozaburo!" Rafael and Kaiba were shocked. "Then there's young Valon, who practically grew up in a juvenile detention center: thanks, once again, to me, when I burned down the orphanage he grew up in, and he killed his suspects in a violent rage."

Loki clenched his fists. "You scum! And I bet _you're_ responsible for dropping Rayth in the Shadow Realm so long ago!"

"You catch on quickly. He had so many loyal followers, willing to sacrifice themselves at a single command simultaneously, in order for him to gain ultimate power. Too bad a few of them met with an 'accident' beforehand. With too many sacrifices short, he ended up a prisoner of the Shadow Realm, willing to do anything to escape."

I gasped. "And Edward…are you the one who-"

Dartz shook his head. "Actually, I can't take credit for _that_ one. It was his own attempt to resurrect his lost mother that brought him and his brother to the brink of oblivion. No altering of his past was necessary: I merely needed to give him a way out, and he took it." He turned to Rafael. "And that brings me to you. The captain of the cruise ship didn't take your family into that typhoon: it was I who led the ship astray."

"WHY!?" demanded Rafael.

"Your destiny was decided from the start. I just pushed it along a bit. I needed all of you: pawns to match the Legendary Dragons and the chosen duelists."

"What have you done!?" screamed Pharaoh.

"You…" growled Rafael. "Everything is your fault! You took me from my family!"

"Your family is nothing compared to Doma's cause," replied Dartz.

"AAAAAARGH!" Rafael activated his Duel Disk and summoned Guardian Eatos. Suddenly, the Seal of Orichalcos encircled him.

I gasped. "But how? Nobody played that card!"

"The Orichalcos lives within him and can never be extinguished!" said Dartz. "There's no turning back now!" Rafael cried out as his soul was ripped from his body. Eatos disappeared, Rafael's image appeared in one of the blank slates in the room, and he collapsed. "This is proof that the darkness in humanity's heart won't vanish."

Loki ran over to the fallen Rafael. "…Rafael…"

Pharaoh turned to Dartz. "This ends now."

"Correct," said Dartz as he held a card above his head. "Once I play this card, your fate will be sealed. The Seal of Orichalcos is about to become even stronger. It's time to experience the third level of darkness: I play Orichalcos Tritos!" Remarkably, another layer was added to the current seal.

"No way!" said Pharaoh. "How can the Seal get any stronger!?"

"You're dealing with a force greater than the darkest shadows, and older than time itself. First, I use the effect of Deuteros!"

3500/600/18500

"His lifepoints are out of control!" cried Téa.

I nodded, terrified. "I haven't felt this scared since Noah's virtual world."

"And now," said Dartz, "I use the effect of Malevolence, switching Different Dimension Dragon to attack mode. I'm afraid this is goodbye, Kaiba. Malevolence, attack!"

"I play my facedown card, Shrink!" said Kaiba. "It cuts the attack points of your monster in half!" But an energy bolt destroyed his spell. "What!?"

"Thanks to Orichalcos Tritos, spells and traps are useless against my monsters. Malevolence, finish him!"

"I play my trap!" said Pharaoh. "My Ambush trap lets me sacrifice Big Shield Gardna and transfer its defense points to Different Dimension Dragon's attack points!"

"Now Kaiba's monster stronger than Dartz's!" said Tristan. Kaiba's dragon struck back, destroying Malevolence. However, the damage was still absorbed by Kyutora.

"_Damn,"_ I thought. _"No matter how powerful their monsters are, Dartz's lifepoints are safe as long as Kyutora is on the field."_

"So," said Dartz, "you sacrificed your monster to save Kaiba. Is this the power of your bond? But because you used your trap card, there are no monsters on the field to protect you. So, I'll organize a reunion for you with your friends. Because of the third Seal of Orichalcos, the Mirror Knights cannot defy me! Mirror Knights, attack Nameless Pharaoh directly!" One by one, each of them struck, and Pharaoh ended up on his knees.

1500/600/18500

"Yugi!" yelled Kaiba.

"I'm alright," groaned Pharaoh as he struggled to his feet.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," said Dartz. "Go ahead and make your final move, Kaiba: with only 600 lifepoints left, your time is just about up."

Kaiba closed his eyes and placed his hand atop his deck. "Alistair…open your eyes and observe what I do here." For some reason, Kaiba looked a lot stronger when he drew, and I wondered if he did a Destiny Draw like Loki talked about. Kaiba laughed when he saw his card. "Whenever I'm about to lose, I draw exactly what I need. And this time's no different. I play Fang of Critias!"

"Critias," muttered Dartz.

Turning to Pharaoh he said, "If I know your gaming strategies as well as I think I do, your facedown card is Mirror Force. Right?"

"That's right," confessed Pharaoh.

"Then I merge my Fang of Critias with Mirror Force to form…Mirror Force Dragon (2800/2000)!"

"What are you planning to attack?" asked Pharaoh.

"You know as well as I do that there's no way we can win with those Mirror Knights on the field. If you're not able to cut off your relationship with the Mirror Knights, let _me_ do it. Mirror Force Dragon, attack the Pegasus Knight!"

"What's he doing?" asked Tristan. "He attacked the only one who still had a shield!"

"I see," muttered Loki. "I think Kaiba _wanted_ the attack to reflect."

"I use the effect of Mirror Force Dragon," declared Kaiba. "It absorbs the reflected attack, and destroys all of the monsters on your field!"

"How can you destroy your companions?" asked Dartz.

"Mokuba and I have already overcome the darkness at the bottom of our hearts, and arrived here. All there is in our hearts is the brightness of building our future. That's the only thing we need. If the Mirror Knights are True Duelists, they won't mind vanishing here."

"He's right," confessed Loki. "But, Oniisan…"

"Mirror Force Dragon, use your effect to destroy Dartz's monsters!"

As Yugi flickered out he called out, "We'll be fine!"

"Kaiba-boy, thanks!" yelled Pegasus before he and the rest of the monsters were cleared away.

"No matter," said Dartz. "Kyutora absorbed the damage before it went."

"But now you have no monsters to protect you."

"I beg to differ. Kyutora has another special ability: whenever it's destroyed, it evolves."

I noticed Loki clutched his stomach and moaned as Kyutora reappeared. "Loki?" I asked.

"It hurts…" he moaned, falling to his knees. "Too much…too powerful…" As he spoke, blood freely flowed from his mouth. "…Hatred…boiling over…" Kyutora reappeared and began to pulsate. And the more it pulsated, the more pain he seemed to be in.

Soon, the monster exploded in a brilliant light, and a gigantic green idol appeared in its place. "Behold," said Dartz, "Orichalcos Shunoros (?/?)! His attack strength is determined by the damage absorbed by Kyutora. He only holds a mere…20000!"

I remembered in the beginning when Loki talked about Gigas attacking the stronger monster, and how Dartz was up to something. "That's it. His plan was Self-Flagellation: inflicting damage to himself in order to boost his attack points."

Pharaoh stumbled back in surprise. "It can wipe us out with one strike!"

"Why are you so surprised? It was _your_ hatred that created Orichalcos Shunoros. But it gets slightly weaker with each attack."

That's when I understood what Loki was saying. The hatred that created that thing must've been incredible, and the reason why Loki was suffering so much was because he could actually feel that hatred. I knelt down and put my arms around him. "Oh, Loki!" He weakly looked up at me. The blood coming from his mouth was now just a small trickle, and tears now came down his face.

"And now," said Dartz, "I use the special ability of Shunoros!" Suddenly, the right arm of the beast detached and floated on its own. "This is Orichalcos Dexia (?/?)!" The left arm also detached. "This is Orichalcos Aristeros (?/?)! Dexia's attack is always 300 points higher than the monster it's attacking, making it the perfect sword. And Aristeros will intercept any of your attacks, returning it with a force 300 points greater than yours, making it the perfect shield."

"Pharaoh…" Loki weakly groaned, "…Kaiba…you must…destroy that hatred!"

"Out of the question," said Dartz. "I play my trap, Martyr's Curse! It forces one of your monsters to battle with one of mine, canceling out any special effects your monster might have. With Mirror Force Dragon being the only monster on your side of the field, my choice is obvious. And, without its reflecting ability, your dragon is defenseless! Orichalcos Shunoros, attack with Photon Ring!" With no effort at all, Shunoros destroyed Kaiba's dragon, and slammed him against the invisible wall.

1500/0/18500

"I'm…not done," groaned Kaiba. "I reveal my trap…Wish of Final Effort! It transfers Mirror Force Dragon's attack points…to Yugi's lifepoints."

4300/0/18500

Pharaoh ran over to help Kaiba up. "Kaiba, hold on!"

"Now I've repaid you…what I owe you. Take revenge…for me." And then Kaiba's soul went away, and his image was engraved on a blank slate.

Dartz grinned. "Well, Pharaoh, I guess that makes you the 'soul' survivor."

"You disgust me."

Dartz flicked his finger, and Kaiba's body flew out of Pharaoh's arms. "I have what I need, so you can have the rest of him." Kaiba's body was then tossed through the Seal barrier, where it hit the floor beside us. Suddenly, the temple began to shake, and we heard a great roar. "Do you hear that? Due to Kaiba's generous donation, the Great Leviathan is almost ready."

"You tell your lizard to spit out my brother!" demanded Mokuba.

"Silence!" A giant reptilian eye appeared behind him and unleashed a shockwave. I braced myself for the impact, and ultimately I didn't feel a thing.

"You missed," I sneered.

Ignoring me he said to Pharaoh, "You're all alone now. But not to worry: your friends are fine. I don't need weak souls. I just wanted to spend some quality time with you, one on one."

"Hello!" I called. "I'm still here, remember?"

"He can't hear us," said Loki. "We're astral projected, now." Pointing behind he said, "You'll find our physical bodies are back there."

"Huh?" I turned back and saw our bodies lying lifelessly on the ground, along with the others. "That's creepy!"

"Isn't it? But the plus side is that since I'm a spirit, blood shouldn't fill my throat any more."

"You know," Dartz said to Pharaoh, "we met 5000 years ago, when you were king of Egypt. And I determined that you're the reason the world will end."

"Do you know I've lost my memory?" asked Pharaoh.

Suddenly, the scene changed around us, and we found ourselves floating above ancient Egypt. In my surprise, I clung onto Loki for support I didn't need. "Recognize it?" asked Dartz. "It's the palace of the Pharaoh in the year 3000 BC."

The scene shifted into the palace, and we saw a priest that looked like Kaiba, wielding the Millennium Rod and battling against a winged serpentine monster. Behind him was the Pharaoh, dressed in royal garb. "This is the evil snake that destroyed the temple!" said Kaiba.

"I'll deal with this," said the old Pharaoh. "I call forth Obelisk the Tormentor!" Once that great beast appeared he declared, "Attack with your fist of fury!"

"This duel," murmured the current Pharaoh.

"5000 years ago in ancient Egypt," said Dartz, "the Duel Monsters were unsealed, and brought out from the darkness within people. If people are trapped in darkness again, it will be like Atlantis ten thousand years ago, and allow the god of Orichalcos to rise and destroy the world." The scene shifted to the streets of Egypt, where that creature was fleeing, and the Pharaoh pursued on horseback, with Slifer the Sky Dragon flying above him. We saw the Pharaoh pass a hooded figure on the street: Dartz.

"I've seen this vision through the Millennium Puzzle," said Pharaoh.

"Back then, those who were encompassed by darkness fought one another and destroyed everything. Then, 5000 years later, something shocking happened." The scene shifted to Yugi in his room, constructing the Millennium Puzzle. "Your cursed soul was resurrected. But why must you live again? There's only one answer: you must be the one who will put an end to human history! That's the destiny you bear."

"What!?" demanded Pharaoh.

"Nameless Pharaoh, you are the source of the darkness within. Ten thousand years of history will end when you are sacrificed!"

Pharaoh shook his head. "I won't be deceived by your words. I made a promise to Dark Magician Girl and the other monsters, and my friends, and took on a mission for Ironheart and Chris!"

Dartz laughed. "A mission? There's no such thing. Your friends, and my father and daughter, don't know that you're the cause of the destruction of the world. That's why they've pinned their hopes on you. The destruction of Egypt 5000 years ago was just a continuation of the battle of Atlantis."

Pharaoh began to tremble. "Then, everything I've done…my entire existence…"

"It's been meaningless right from the start."

"It's a lie. It's a lie! I won't believe it!" yelled Pharaoh as he drew. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards! Next, I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard (1400/1200) in defense mode! Then I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Then I draw, and gain more power from Deuteros!"

4300/0/20000

"Dexia, crush his monster!" Dexia's points became 1500, being 300 higher than Celtic Guard's defense.

"I activate Soul Shield, paying half my lifepoints to block Dexia's attack!"

2150/0/20000

Shunoros lost the 1500 attack points it gave to Dexia. "Not bad," said Dartz, "but what's the point? Look around: you're all alone. Your friends aren't able to support you, and the score's not exactly in your favor. Why drag out the torment, when all you have to do is forfeit, and you can join your friends on the other side? Accept the fact that your soul is cursed; even if you open up the maze of your heart and recover your memory, all that's waiting for you is tremendous tragedy. I shoulder the same burdens as you. I'm the only one who can understand your pain. At least, end your destiny with your own hand."

Pharaoh stared at his deck. "I must surrender my soul," he said, moving his hand over his deck. "It's my fate."

"That's it," urged Dartz. "Listen to the voice of reason in your head."

"Pharaoh, NO!" I cried.

Loki shook his head. "He can't hear us. He can't hear the voice of reason. All he hears is Dartz."

"The time has come," said Dartz. "Sacred seal, encircle the Pharaoh." To my horror, the seal began to shrink around the Pharaoh. And then Pharaoh's energy exploded, creating a golden pillar of light which pushed the Seal back. "Impossible! No one can overcome the power of the Orichalcos!"

And I could see, in that pillar along with the Pharaoh, were Yugi, Joey and Kaiba. A second later, Téa and Valon appeared in that circle, along with an unfamiliar girl. That was followed by Alistair and Duke, with an unfamiliar old man. And then Loki and I appeared with them.

"Why didn't the Seal take your soul!?" demanded Dartz.

Once our images faded the Pharaoh explained, "The memories of my past, my body: do I have them? Deep in my heart, there must be something that won't disappear. I didn't realize it before, but deep inside my heart, my friends and I have built a new container of memory together. I'm not null: as long as my heart still preserves that container, I'll be able to come back! I'll tell you why I was chosen: I've lost everything I've been through in the past 5000 years and awakened here. The purpose is for the friends I've met, to defeat you, and find the world's future!"

"That's it, Pharaoh!" yelled Loki. "This duel's not over yet!" Then, as if he was wearing a Duel Disk, he placed his right hand in a drawing position. "Let's share our faith with him."

I nodded, and mimicked his position. "Destiny Draw!" Then the both of us drew at the same time Pharaoh did. "It's that card! I can feel it!"

"Do you know what I hold in my hand?" Pharaoh asked Dartz. "It's the key to unlocking the secret of the Legendary Dragons. I play…Legend of Heart! I activate it by paying 1000, and sacrificing my Obnoxious Celtic Guard. It lets me summon Critias, Hermos, and Timaeus in their true form!"

1150/0/20000

The three dragons appeared and flew into the sky. "After ten millennia in captivity, we've been set free!" A beam of light hit the ground, and from it emerged the Legendary Knights. Timaeus drew his sword and declared, "I am the warrior known as Timaeus (2800/2300)!"

Critias drew his blade and stated, "I am Sir Critias (2800/2300)!"

"And I am Sir Hermos (2800/2300)!" said the last.

They crossed their swords in the air and said, "In the name of Atlantis, we have been reborn!" Then they stabbed the seal together, completely destroying all three layers of the Orichalcos.

"The seal is powerless in our presence," said Hermos.

"Have you forgotten our last encounter?" asked Critias.

Timaeus indicated the scar on his eye. "I certainly haven't, and I have a score to settle with you."

Loki gave a content sigh. "Such positive energy…groovy."

"Timaeus!" yelled Pharaoh. "Attack Orichalcos Aristeros!" But Aristeros' defense points became 3100, repelling the attack.

850/0/20000

Then Shunoros lost 3100 attack points. "Critias, Hermos, attack his Aristeros!" Again, the points of Aristeros rose to 3100 with each attack.

250/0/20000

"That puts Mr. Shunoros down to 5900 attack points," said Loki.

"I end my turn," said Pharaoh.

Dartz smirked. "You depleted your own lifepoints to reduce Shunoros' attack. But it won't save you; you'll die in the next round." Dartz drew and declared, "Shunoros, attack Critias and end this battle!"

"Your attack won't work. Critias can mimic the effect of one trap in my graveyard, and I choose Mirror Force! Now, all of your monsters will be destroyed!" In one move, all of Dartz's monsters went up in a brilliant explosion.

"That's so cool!" I cheered. But my enthusiasm faded when I watched Loki stare forward, like a deer in the headlights. "What's wrong?"

To which he muttered, "Out of the frying pan…and into the cremator."

Dartz smiled. "It was an excellent move, but Shunoros has a special ability as well." A huge vortex appeared above the duel, and out emerged a giant serpent. "As soon as Shunoros was vanquished, my Divine Serpent was born. But there's a price to pay: I must discard my entire hand, and give up every one of my lifepoints."

Pharaoh frowned. "But that means you lose."

"Yes, under normal circumstances. But as long as my Divine Serpent is on the field, I remain in the game. But if it's destroyed, you win."

250/0/**0**

"The Divine Serpent, however, has an attack of Infinity! That means there's not a monster in your deck that can stand up to it. And once it strikes your Knight, your soul is mine."

"Don't give up, Pharaoh," pleaded Loki. "Shizuka proved that infinity is just a state of mind. If she can surpass infinity, there's no reason why the King of Games can't do the same." He then quickly turned to me and hastily added, "Not to belittle your accomplishment: not at all."

"I know," I answered. "If there's only one person who can beat infinity besides me, it'll be you or the Pharaoh."

"I'll set one card facedown," said Pharaoh, "and end my turn."

"Then it's time," said Dartz. "I discard ten cards from my deck so that my Divine Serpent can attack! Divine Serpent, crush Timaeus and his lifepoints!"

0/0/**0**

"This duel is over!" The seal reappeared on the field and started to shrink again, but it was once again repelled. And now, the Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) was on the field in defense mode. "How did you survive!?"

"I played my trap, Relay Soul," explained Pharaoh. "It allows me to stay in the game when my lifepoints go to zero by summoning my Dark Magician Girl and putting my fate in her hands."

**0**/0/**0**

"Now we're in the same situation. We each have one monster – you have your Divine Serpent, and I have Dark Magician Girl – and when that monster is destroyed, the card holder will lose."

Dartz shrugged. "You may have altered the rules of our battle, but your chances of victory are just as slim."

"I have the spirits of my friends to support me, but you're alone."

"I have more power than you _or_ your friends, and I'll prove it by playing this card: the spell, Impact Revive! It brings back one of your monsters that was destroyed this turn with an extra 500 attack points. I use it to bring back Timaeus!"

"But why would you revive my card?"

"I wanted to prove how powerless you really are. Impact Revive also lets my monster attack one more time. I discard another ten cards, and attack your Dark Magician Girl with Divine Serpent!"

"Not so fast. I use Hermos' effect: sword of Renewal allows Hermos to absorb the effect of a monster from my graveyard! He'll use Obnoxious Celtic Guard's effect, which keeps him from being destroyed by any monster with 1900 or more attack points." His monster intercepted the attack and knocked it away.

"So much for infinite strength," said Pharaoh as he drew. "Attack points don't mean everything."

Dartz laughed. "You dodged one blast, so you think you're king of the world?"

"Critias and Hermos, attack his Divine Serpent!" With that, his two monsters pierced the monster's head with their swords.

"Your monsters are too weak!"

"Are you sure? Take a look: the two Knights are still attacking." We looked up, and saw the monsters were sending the attack back and forth like a game of pong.

"I don't understand. Why weren't they destroyed the moment they came in contact with the Serpent?"

"If you believe in the limitless darkness of the heart, then the power they have produced is _also_ limitless. Critias' Sword of Wisdom absorbed the trap Attack Guidance Barrier, transferring his attack to any other monster on the field, so the new target is Hermos. And I use Hermos' special effect, sacrificing the three Magnet Warriors so I can triple the attack and send it back to Critias. Now, they reflect the attack back and forth, strengthening it each time until it reaches infinity."

I crossed my arms. "I'll definitely say one thing for Pharaoh: he reached infinity in a much more stylish way than I did."

"Their power can't exceed infinity!" protested Dartz.

"I'm not done yet; I still have one more monster," said Pharaoh. "I use Timaeus' ability to merge with Critias and Hermos! Now _there's_ a force that's beyond infinity: the Knight of Destiny!"

Dartz gasped. "Impossible!"

"See for yourself. Knight of Destiny, slay his Divine Serpent with Sword of Infinity!" As the Divine Serpent went up in flames he declared, "Your 10,000 year quest is over!"

**0**/0/0

**End Chapter**


	15. The Rise and Fall of Atlantis

**Loki's Eyes**

"No, I've come so close!" cried Dartz as his greatest monster went down in flames. "All I need is one more powerful soul, and the Great Leviathan will rise from the depths of the earth!"

"It's too little, too late!" shot back Pharaoh. Knight of Destiny disappeared, and split back into the three Legendary Knights. Above Dartz was some kind of tear in space. "Release the souls of my friends, and all the others you've captured!" The temple began to shake, and a giant snake appeared behind Dartz from a portal, snatching him up in his jaws, and disappeared back into the portal.

The three knights held up their right hands, which began to glow. "Chosen duelists," said Timaeus, "Cross back into the human world."

Three balls of light appeared from the tear, one of which landed in Pharaoh's hands. "Yugi!" One of the balls of light was absorbed into Kaiba, and the last flew out of the room, presumably to Joey. A second later, the Legendary Knights vanished.

Kaiba opened his eyes and saw Mokuba lying unconscious. "Mokuba, wake up."

I turned to Shizuka. "It's all thanks to you, Shizuka-sama. Let's go return to our bodies." She nodded, and we woke up together. When I opened my eyes, I saw Téa hugging the newly returned Yugi. "Hey, Yugi-kun," I greeted as I stood up.

A second later, Joey ran in. "Where's my little buddy?" He ran over to Yugi and hugged him too. "I sure missed this spiky little head!"

I stretched and said, "It's nice to see the gang back together again. Now, I hope we all learned a lesson from all this; no playing in cursed soul-stealing circles."

"If you guys were set free," said Mokuba. "so must everyone else that was captured."

"Guess again," said Joey, pointing to Rafael who was still lifeless on the ground. "All the other souls are still trapped."

Shizuka frowned. "Then it's still not over?"

Suddenly, Edward ran inside. "You guys gotta come outside! You'll never believe this!" We followed him out, and he proved himself right: some huge thing rose out of the sea, guided by a strange green light.

"Atlantis?" I murmured. As I spoke, the city completely rose to the surface. And it didn't stop there: it began to fly into the air.

"Is that really Atlantis?" asked Tristan.

"Well, let's see," Joey said sarcastically. "It's a big ancient city-looking thing rising up out of the ocean…I'd say that fits the bill."

Yugi clenched his fists. "That must mean Dartz is still out there."

"Could he have woken up the Leviathan?"

"Hmm," said Kaiba. "The only way to decide who wins and who loses is to go up there."

"How do you plan to do that?" asked Tristan.

"Maybe we can go by helicopter," suggested Mokuba.

"Wait," said Yugi, glancing back into the temple. "Maybe there's a way to go there directly: the vortex that Dartz disappeared into. If that's the way to get there, I want to go."

Joey nodded. "I'll go too."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Tristan. "You gotta be nuts!"

"You just back!" added Téa. "Now you're going to walk into Dartz's hands again? Let's just walk away while we have the chance!"

Yugi shook his head. "It's not like that; you know that. We have to go there, to join with the monsters. Otherwise, we can't stop the Orichalcos god."

"Yugi's right," agreed Joey. "I want to find Valon and Mai's souls myself."

"My soul was captured, too. It was very scary and lonely, but I always believed that Joey, Kaiba, and my other self would save me. It must be the same for those locked away. They believe that we'll save them."

"Yugi," murmured Téa.

"We have to go."

"Everyone, wait here," said Kaiba as he headed to the temple. "As long as Dartz isn't dealt with, my anger won't be appeased."

Joey handed Rafael over to me and said, "Nobody said you could go alone, Kaiba!" as he followed Kaiba.

"I don't need the help of an average duelist to win the glory."

Yugi started after them, but Téa said, "Wait. …I want to wish you luck, Yugi. Remember your promise to come back soon, and go and kick some Dartz butt." He nodded, and ran after them. Mokuba started after them, but Téa stopped him. "Your brother's going to be fine."

"Aren't we going to go too?" Shizuka asked me as I headed to the helicopter to lie Rafael down.

"They're the chosen duelists," I replied. "I don't like sitting out of an important fight, but it's _their_ fight. It's not our place to interfere."

Shizuka crossed her arms. "You're right. I'm the stronger duelist, but you're obviously the smarter one. I think I still have more to learn from you."

I smiled as I walked back to her. "Perhaps. But we have more than enough time to learn everything about each other, don't we?"

"I feel the need to vomit," muttered Edward.

I glared at him. "So, you're my otherworld counterpart, huh? You're so tiny, you have to look up to look down."

"YOU GIANT BASTARD!" he shrieked, winding up a punch. "You wanna piece of me!?"

"Of course not; if I took a piece of you, we'd need a microscope to see the rest." I stepped away from Shizuka as Edward wildly swung at me. Using my ultimate Jeet Kune Do technique, I effortlessly danced around his wild punches and kicks. After a minute, I grabbed his metal wrist and said, "One word for you: therapy," before I tossed him over my shoulder.

"Ow…" he moaned after he landed.

Shizuka sighed and shook her head. "You two are perfect for each other: two savages."

"I am not a savage. I'm just very passionate. I'm like a poet…who likes to kick ass." After a few minutes, I felt three familiar presences. "Hey, the Egyptian God Cards are out and about!"

"Are you sure!?" asked Tristan.

"Definitely. Yugi must've found them, and now he's battling against the Leviathan." I looked over to the floating island. "There they are!" We watched in awe at the awesome battle, with the end result being the Leviathan getting blasted out of the sky, crashing into the ocean. "And that, Mr. Elric, is how we duel around here."

From where the beast crashed, the souls of all the people it absorbed flew forth. I didn't know all of them – after all, there were thousands – but I could pick out a few of them: Mai and Valon were among them, as were Alistair and Rafael. I also sensed Rex and Weevil. We saw Rafael's soul fly into the helicopter, and we ran over. Rafael opened his eyes and exclaimed, "I'm back!"

"Are you alright?" asked Mokuba.

Rafael started shedding tears of joy. "Of course! I'm free, thanks to the three chosen duelists."

Téa looked excitedly at Atlantis. "They beat Dartz?"

"What did you expect?" I asked with a shrug. "When you're talking about the best of the best, those three are always among the first five names that pop up." A second later, I felt strange. "…Damn."

"What's wrong?" asked Tristan.

"…I have a sinking feeling that 'Monty Python' isn't as dead as he's supposed to be." A second later, a shadowy spectral form of the Leviathan burst from the water and flew back to Atlantis, which slowly began to deteriorate. "He's bringing down the house!"

"Don't these evil forces know when to quit!?" snapped Tristan. Suddenly, a big pillar of dark energy erupted from the center of Atlantis. "What the hell is that!?"

"Whatever it is, we should probably be afraid of it." To our combined relief, it eventually subsided, and the weather cleared up. "Sometimes I really enjoy being wrong."

"Hey, look!" exclaimed Téa. "Atlantis is returning to the ocean!" Edward screamed in horror. "What's the problem?"

"If something that size falls into the ocean, it'll create a tidal wave!" cried Edward.

"TIDAL WAVE!?" we shouted.

Kaiba ran full speed out of the temple, with Joey running after him. "Mokuba, start the engines! We have to get out of here!"

"Wait!" protested Téa. "We can't leave without Yugi!"

"Time's running out!" argued Mokuba.

"He's right," agreed Kaiba. "We can't wait for him."

When I saw Joey start back to the temple, I quickly dashed forward with Tristan and we restrained him. "I'm not leaving without Yugi!" screamed Joey.

"No, Joey!" snapped Tristan. "We have to trust that he found a way out on his own."

"Tristan's right, Oniisan!" I said. "Whether or not you succeeded, how do you think Yugi would feel if you gave your life to save him?"

Defeated, Joey ran back to the helicopter with us, and we took off. "YUGI!" cried Joey as a wave washed over the island.

"Yugi," whispered Téa, as she gazed out the window. "…Those weird lights are back." We looked out the window, and the aurora shone in the sky again.

"I see why," said Joey as he pointed out the window. We saw an island, and the three Legendary Knights were flying off with Dark Magician Girl.

"They must be going home, now that their world is safe again," noted Shizuka.

Joey and Kaiba held up their Legendary Dragon cards, and they dissolved. "Was it just a dream?" wondered Kaiba.

For a split second, I received a vision. Mana stood before me again. "What happens now, mother?" I asked.

To my surprise, she hugged me and gave me a peck on the cheek. "You take care of Shizuka, ok?"

"O-ok," I replied, confused.

"Farewell, my son. We'll meet again," she said before she disappeared.

"Mother…"

"Loki?" asked Al, and then I realized I said that last part aloud.

"…I think I spoke to Mother for the first time ever." Then I noticed he, his brother, and their friend began to vanish. "I guess you guys are going home."

"I guess so," replied Edward. "This won't be the last time we meet: I still owe you an ass-kicking."

"We'll see. Well, good luck with your quest, Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Good luck with yours too, Selkirk Rex." And then they were gone.

"Hey, look!" exclaimed Téa, pointing down to the island.

"It's Yugi!" said Tristan.

Once we landed, Joey jumped out and grabbed Yugi, giving him noogies. "Yugi! I'm never letting this spiky head out of my sight again."

"So, it's really all over?" asked Téa.

Yugi nodded. "We're safe now."

Mokuba poked his head out the door. "Let's go, Yugi!"

Joey gasped. "Come on, or they'll leave us here."

Tristan smirked. "You're getting overexcited. You've been that way since you learned Yugi was safe."

"Shut up, Tristan."

Yugi started to follow, but stopped and looked back. I could see that a few feet away, looking at the sunset, was the Pharaoh. "I'll be right there." He then walked over to the Pharaoh and they spoke briefly. Then they returned, and we finally took off, heading back to Arizona for a nice long break.

Let's face it: we all earned a good rest.

The End…for now.

Once again, the world was saved by the valiant efforts of Yugi and his friends, but this time with the unexpected help of Shizuka. What adventures await them in the future? Find out with the next exciting installment in the Loki Admin series.

Special thanks to Katana777 for her review.


	16. Closing: Embrace

Before we begin, I'd just like to thank Katana777 for her review.

000000000

Loki: Hello again, fans. I'm here once again with our band, Destiny Draw. And today, the song we have chosen to sing the song "Embrace" by the Bee Gees, with Robin Gibb as the man who originally sang the lead. This is the first song I thought of when I discovered Shizuka was halfway across the world. I'll sing the lead today, with a special guest star to harmonize with me during a few parts.

Shizuka: Hi! Um…I'm kind of nervous.

Loki: Stage fright? If it makes you feel better, the audience can't see or hear you. Besides, you're the only person I can think of who can match required pitch.

Shizuka: Well, ok. Besides, I was thinking among similar lines when I was on my quest, so it works.

Loki: (blushes) L-let's get this show on the go. One, two, three, four…

000000000

I don't know what you want, I don't hear what you said  
Truth behind the lies  
'Cause I can't see what's in your head and  
Spread your wings and fly, out in a brave new world  
Let this be my prayer, to keep you safe when I'm not there  
Can we love and live apart, I don't know, no, I don't know  
How can we divide the heart, I don't know, no, I don't know

And when the night falls, and when the sky falls,  
I long for your embrace  
And in the cold night, under the street light  
I long for your embrace  
Living separate lives, I have faith in you, away from you  
Like a lonely child, I will hang on every word  
Embrace

Through the mists of time, lovers can be friends  
The power of the human heart  
The secret's in the souls of men  
All my blessings in disguise, I don't know, no, I don't know  
Reunited we will rise, I don't know, no, I don't know

And when the night falls, and when the sky falls,  
I long for your embrace  
And in the cold night, under the street light  
I long for your embrace  
Living separate lives, I have faith in you, away from you  
Like a lonely child, I will hang on every word

And when the night falls, and when the sky falls,  
I long for your embrace  
Another daybreak, another heartache  
I long for your embrace

Living separate lives  
Away from you  
Embrace, embrace  
The lonely, lonely life  
Lonely days and nights  
We can live our life  
Embrace, embrace  
With our separate lives  
Embrace, embrace  
The lonely, lonely lives  
Lonely days and nights  
I will never send away  
Embrace, embrace  
The lonely, lonely lives  
Embrace the child inside  
The lonely, lonely lives

000000000

Shizuka: Was that alright?

Loki: Shizuka…it was something to behold. (Shizuka happily skips off, and Loki starts rubbing his ears) Ow…I _would_ have to be the one standing next to her.


End file.
